U.S. Veteran Population Projections, 2015 through 2040: Implications for Health Planning and Monitoring Population Health Outcomes.
In recognition of the importance of understanding the U.S. Veteran population structure for VHA health planning, this review explores U.S. Veteran population projection data from 2015 to 2040. We also compare U.S. adult population projections for the same period with emphasis on the structure of the populations. We discuss the implications of Veteran population structure on
health planning and monitoring population health outcomes.
The population projections from both agencies relied on the cohort-component method.8,9 This method for population projection and estimation has the advantage of maintaining knowledge of the underlying age distribution in the population over time.
Since projections showed that the Veteran population age will increase over time, it will be important to monitor the rates of important health outcomes over time to determine longterm success toward meeting health planning goals to improve Veteran population health.
Close inspection of population pyramids for the projected years showed that between 2015 and 2040, not only could the proportion of female Veterans increase over time but, also, more Veterans will be represented in the older age groups.
In each pyramid, the data representing the projections for males by age group (17 years and above) are on the left-side of the pyramid (blue); that for females are on the right-side (red). We note that each Veteran population structure from 2015 to 2040 differs from that of the adult population for the same period. This may be related to the military experiences of the US Veteran population were different from the experiences of the US adult population who were not on active duty along with the fact that more men enlist in US military service compared to the number.
Public Health Open J. 2019; 4(1): 33-37. doi: 10.17140/PHOJ-4-131