Sociodemographic characteristics, military service and health characteristics of younger ex-servicemen with a combat-related visual impairment and younger ex-servicemen with a non-combat-related visual impairment
| Combat-related visual impairment (n=20) n (%) | Non-combat-related visual impairment (n=54) n (%) | Statistical test, p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) ∼ | Median: 33.5 IQR: 25.5–47.5 | Median: 47.5 IQR: 41–51 | p<0.01 (Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney) |
| Marital status | |||
| In a relationship | 11 (55.0) | 33 (61.1) | |
| Not in a relationship | 9 (45.0) | 21 (38.9) | p=0.63 (χ2) χ²(1) 0.23 |
| Children | |||
| Yes | 11 (55.0) | 42 (77.8) | |
| No | 9 (45.0) | 12 (22.2) | p=0.05 (χ2) χ²(1) 3.73 |
| Educational qualifications* | |||
| None | 1 (5.0) | 6 (11.5) | |
| O levels or similar | 8 (40.0) | 20 (38.5) | |
| A levels, similar or higher | 11 (55.0) | 26 (50.0) | p=0.86 (Fisher's exact) |
| Employed at the time of interview† | |||
| Yes | 11 (55.0) | 15 (27.8) | |
| No | 9 (45.0) | 39 (72.2) | p=0.03 (χ2) χ²(1) 4.75 |
| Housing | |||
| Owned | 14 (70.0) | 20 (37.0) | |
| Rented | 5 (25.0) | 30 (55.6) | |
| Other | 1 (5.0) | 4 (7.4) | p=0.04 (Fisher's exact) |
| Time in military (years) | |||
| 0–4 | 5 (25.0) | 13 (24.1) | |
| 5–12 | 11 (55.0) | 28 (51.9) | |
| >12 | 4 (20.0) | 13 (24.1) | p=1.00 (Fisher's exact) |
| Time since becoming visual impaired (years) | |||
| Median: 6.3 IQR: 3.1–20.0 | Median: 12.1 IQR: 6.7–19.6 | p=0.35 (Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney) | |
| 0–4 years | 7 (35.0) | 7 (13.0) | |
| 5–9 years | 4 (20.0) | 17 (31.5) | |
| 10–14 years | 2 (10.0) | 9 (16.7) | |
| 15 ore more | 7 (35.0) | 21 (38.9) | p=0.21 (Fisher's exact) |
| Other long-term illness, health problems, but not as result of the event that caused the visual impairment | |||
| Yes | 4 (20.0) | 34 (63.0) | |
| No | 16 (80.0) | 20 (37.0) | p<0.01 (Fisher's exact) |
| Amputation | |||
| Yes | 5 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| No | 15 (75.0) | 54 (100.0) | p<0.01 (Fisher's exact) |
| Currently on medication | |||
| Yes | 8 (40.0) | 35 (64.8) | |
| No | 12 (60.0) | 19 (35.2) | p=0.06 (χ2) χ²(1) 3.70 |
| Self-rated health | |||
| Excellent/very good/good | 18 (90.0) | 36 (66.7) | |
| Fair/poor | 2 (10.0) | 18 (33.3) | p=0.08 (Fisher's exact) |
Calculated from 1 November 2012 (participants needed to be under the age of 55 years as of that date to be eligible for the current study).
*Two missing data.
†Several participants in the combat-related visual impairment group were still enlisted with the armed forces, but were likely to be medically discharged in due course (n=4).