Scoping Review and Gap Analysis of Research Related to the Health of Women in the U.S. Military, 2000 to 2015

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the results of a scoping review and analysis of health care use data to identify gaps in knowledge related to the health of women in the U.S. military.

Data sources: We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO for articles published between January 2000 and September 2015. We obtained health care use data from military diagnostic and pharmacy databases.

Study selection: All studies pertaining to the health and readiness of U.S. Active Duty service members were retained. Articles that contained mixed samples (i.e., male and female participants) were required to have a gender-stratified analysis of results to be included.

Data extraction: We identified a total of 14,999 articles; 979 met inclusion criteria. Articles were categorized across eight major topic areas and 73 subtopic areas.

Data synthesis: We synthesized literature results and health care use data to identify gaps in knowledge. We categorized most articles into the readiness (n = 561) and psychological health (n = 429) main topic areas; categorizations were not mutually exclusive. Overall, 89.4% (n = 879) of articles were of good to excellent quality. We identified gaps in seven of eight major topic areas and in 26 of 73 subtopic areas, but most were found in the obstetric-gynecologic health topic area and the psychological health topic areas. Less than 5% (n = 40) of the published research in this analysis included an experimental or quasi-experimental design.

Conclusion: Although high-quality research on the health of U.S. servicewomen exists on all major topics covered in this review, gaps in the literature exist. Our review provides the first step to map the extant landscape of research on the health of women in the U.S. military and is a guide for future research, policy, and intervention.

Keywords: military health; military women; obstetrics and gynecology; scoping review; servicewomen.