Newswise — San Francisco, Calif., – Male military veterans with a history of heavy alcohol use are more likely to seek treatment and, later, report better overall health and less depression than their civilian counterparts, according to new research released today at the American Public Health Association’s 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

According to the National Institutes of Health-funded research from the Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group, 29 percent of veterans under 50 years old who reported a long history of heavy alcohol use sought treatment for alcohol dependence compared with just 17 percent of their civilian counterparts. Among these younger men who continued to drink heavily into their 30s, civilians were more than twice as likely (35 percent) to report current depression than veterans (15 percent).

The research also found that younger veterans who report a history of heavy drinking in their 30s reported better overall health and less depression than veterans who did not report heavy drinking in their 30s.

“The findings suggest not only that Veterans Affairs treatment is available to help young veterans who have a history of heavy drinking, but that it is an effective service outreach to young veterans that can improve their health and overall quality of life” said Katherine Karriker-Jaffe, PhD, researcher at the Public Health Institute and APHA Annual Meeting presenter. “Those younger veterans without alcohol or drug problems may benefit from additional outreach from targeted services to improve their mental and physical health.”

Results were analyzed from the 2010 National Alcohol Survey. Heavy drinking was defined as drinking five or more drinks at a time at least once a week. Military service was not associated with heavy drinking histories of older men, although veterans over 49 years old were somewhat more likely than civilians to report heavy drinking in the year prior to the interview.

APHA’s 140th Annual Meeting is themed “Prevention and Wellness Across the Lifespan” and will focus on the importance of environmental, social and behavioral issues that impact health at all stages of life.

Session: 3304 – Let’s learn the front line story: ATOD and the militaryFeatured presentation: Associations of military service history with heavy drinking and alcohol dependence in a general population sample of U.S. menDate: Monday, October 29, 2012, at 2:50 p.m.Researcher: Katherine Karriker-Jaffe, PhD, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute

Information for Media: The APHA Annual Meeting Press Office will be located in Room 3020 of the Moscone Convention Center West. The full Annual Meeting program and abstracts are available online at http://www.apha.org/meetings/sessions/. Final programs with session locations, along with daily highlights and other press materials, will be available on site at the APHA Press Office. Please visit our website for additional Annual Meeting press information.For more about APHA, visit www.apha.org.

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Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.