Target population: Female veterans within the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas including Orlando and Ft. Myers.
Intervention to be evaluated: This is not an intervention study. Instead, the goal is to formally acknowledge the contributions of female veterans through a day of wellness, education, and other services. In addition, for women who consent to participate in the research component of the project, cross-sectional data will be captured on the prevalence of sexual assaults and extreme traumatic experiences, symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and coping strategies. In addition, data will be collected on markers of allostasis (e.g. cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin, inflammatory markers, etc.).
Summary of research design: The primary objective of this project is to reach out to female veterans within the greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas and provide them with an opportunity to be acknowledged for their contributions to this country and be provided with education, services, and opportunities for high levels of wellness. This will be accomplished by developing a highly advertised day of recognition and services in the University of South Florida Sun Dome (Phase I). These services will include a variety of stress management training sessions, wellness profiling, health risk assessments, screenings for cholesterol, CRP, cytokines, stress hormones, nutritional assessment and counseling, massages, facials, pedicures, mental health screening and referral, job placement services, educational opportunities information and counseling, and benefits counseling. Kiosks will be available for women to visit depending on their needs. A secondary objective is to begin to develop a biobehavioral database for research on the health of female veterans.
Inclusion criteria: Female veterans who reside within the greater Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas.
Exclusion criteria: Male, not a current service member or veteran.
Sample size: Phase I (n=400); Phase II (n=200); Phase III (n=100).
Recruitment strategy: Recruitment will be done through a number of venues, including the newspaper, radio, billboards, bus advertising, web page, posters, and television. The number of potential female veteran participants is conservatively estimated to be several thousand within the area to be served (Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Orlando, Fort Myers).
Method(s) of data collection: For the self-report measures (see previous Table 1), tools will be available on computers in private kiosks. Individuals who participate will be coded by number and their identity will be confidential and known only to the investigators. For the health screening, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, a serum profile of allostatic load markers (cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin, inflammatory cytokines, C-reactive protein), salivary cortisol and alpha amylase levels will be obtained and analyzed. After the day of screening, the second phase of the project would be to offer women referrals to health care providers for identified potential health problems, and the opportunity to engage in interventions such as mindfulness meditation groups, social support groups, physical exercise, and recreation groups. The third phase of the project will be a longitudinal study of health and the effects over time.
Participant Reimbursement: Participants in the research project will be reimbursed for their time in the amount of $50.00. In addition, they will receive a full laboratory report of their biological data, and will also be referred to appropriate health care providers as their mental or physical health data warrants.