Report: Understanding future needs of Canadian veterans

Background

Planning for the future needs of Canadian veterans requires comprehensive and detailed data on the size of the Canadian veteran population and their health. This article describes current veteran population estimates and examines the health of two eras of veterans compared with the health of Canadians in general.

Data and methods

This study describes the size and age structure of the Canadian veteran population forecasted by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Veteran health was examined for two eras of Regular Force veterans. The health of earlier-era veterans (released between 1954 and 2003) was examined using the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey. The health of recent-era veterans (released between 1998 and 2012) was examined using the 2013 Life After Service Survey. Health indicators for veterans were compared with the Canadian general population using age- and sex-adjusted rates and confidence intervals.

Results

The VAC forecast points to a stable population of about 600,000 veterans for the next decade, but a growing proportion will be older than 70 years old. Regular Force veterans of both eras had a higher prevalence than the Canadian general population of activity limitations and back problems, a lower prevalence of low income, and a similar prevalence of life stress and heavy drinking. Recent-era veterans had a higher prevalence than the Canadian general population of many more indicators—in particular, arthritis, self-rated mental health, depression and anxiety.  

Read the full report.