AMSARA: Accession Medical Standards Analysis & Research Activity 2008 Annual Report

Abstract

The Accession Medical Standards Analysis and Research Activity (AMSARA) has completed its twelfth year of providing the Department of Defense with evidence-based evaluations of accession standards. AMSARA evaluates accession medical standards and retention programs to improve military readiness by maximizing both the accession and retention of motivated and capable recruits. This report provides findings from selected special studies and descriptive data on calendar year 2007 accessions. Section 1, Special Studies, presents two brief overviews of selected research conducted at AMSARA. The first report compares the types of discharge among first-time active duty male enlistees in the Army who are fully qualified and those with medical waivers. Waived enlistees were shown to be at increased risk of discharges for conditions existing prior to service (EPTS), failure to meet weight/body fat standards, and being unqualified for active duty service. However, waived recruits were at lower risk of discharge for desertion, drugs, and for good of service. The second study examined EPTS discharges among a cohort of first-time active duty Army enlistees granted selected accession medical waivers. These waivers were chosen based on the prevalence of medical conditions commonly evaluated for waivers in the Army as well as those most commonly observed among EPTS discharges. EPTS discharges were not found to be associated with a history of any waiver nor a waiver for the discharge condition. Section 2 of this report includes the descriptive statistics AMSARA compiles and publishes annually for historical and reference value. Descriptive statistics are for applicants who enlisted in 2007 and are compared to the five year aggregate data from 2002-2006. Data are collected while the recruits remain on their first year of active duty.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA494071

Entities

People

  • Bennett-jason D. Datu
  • David N. Cowan
  • David W. Niebuhr
  • Elizabeth R. Packnett
  • Janice K. Gary
  • Jonathan A. Mayo
  • Melinda A. Cavicchia
  • Natalya S. Weber
  • Sheryl A. Bedno
  • Weiwei Han
  • Yuanzhang Li

Organizations

  • Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Depression
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Health Services
  • Joint Diseases
  • Medical Personnel
  • Pain

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.