Ethnicity and Disease Incidence in a Cohort of Enlisted Navy Men.

This paper describes the results of a longitudinal study of ethnic group differences in rates of first hospitalization for all diseases and injuries among a cohort of U.S. Navy men who enlisted in 1974. This group was followed for a six year period. Age-adjusted rates for ethnic subgroups by diagnostic category, occupation, and education were calculated. Considerable variation in disease risk was found among the different ethnic groups. Overall, Philipinos had the lowest rates of total first hospitalizations and Native Americans had the highest rates. Blacks had the second highest rates of total hospital admissions, followed by Caucasians, Hispanics, members of unspecified groups, and Asian-Americans. Similar patterns of disease risk by occupational category were found among all ethnic groups but wide variations were observed with respect to level of education. Ethnic group differences remained after controlling for education and occupation. Results of the study indicate that ethnic groups are not uniformly at risk for first hospitalizations in all disease categories when social environment and access to medical care are controlled for, and that the relationship between ethnicity and disease incidence is multifactorial. Keyword Morbidity.