EDUCATION MATERIALS FOR PUERTO RICAN VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Project Background

The impact of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) on veterans and families in Puerto Rico is far reaching. Over 3,000 individuals have been deployed from Puerto Rico. Because of limited job opportunities and high poverty rates, military service has high appeal in Puerto Rico. Although little is known about OIF/OEF effects in Puerto Rico, it is known that the toll on soldiers and families in mainland U.S. is huge. Readjustment after returning to civilian life may be even more stressful than actual deployment because there is little information or training on what to expect or how to reintegrate into new family and community roles.

Project Objectives

The long term goal is to develop research-based information on OEF/OIF veterans and family members' experiences and to evaluate interventions that enhance these veterans' reintegration into their communities. Our findings will be used to develop culturally appropriate materials to help with post deployment readjustment and to develop a future, large intervention studies that integrate successful coping resources and modify constraints identified by participants in this study. Findings will assist clinicians and health planners in developing family-focused health care initiatives, which can be guided by the research-based conceptual framework developed in this study.

Project Methods

Project Findings

Based on the reviews and input from our PR partners and Spanish-speaking team members, we developed 12 fact sheets that were written in PR Spanish, included PR symbols (i.e., flag symbols/colors, coquí), and were targeted to veterans, family members, and employers. Social marketing techniques, such as consistent branding, eye-catching graphics, positive statements, brief messages, bullets to emphasize main points, and a summary section ('remember') were successfully used. Community-based participatory research approaches were used to establish buy-in and to develop education materials that appealed to the PR population. We pilot tested the fact sheets with focus groups of PR healthcare providers and veterans, who provided primarily positive comments and suggested minor language and content changes. Additional funding was received to print these Fact Sheets in a Guide format for distribution to returning veterans in Puerto Rico in November 2008.

Project Status

We have completed and submitted the final report. We are in the process of writing manuscripts and developing the Fact Sheet Guide for printing and dissemination.

Project Impact

The study addressed a priority in the VHA to improve the quality of life of veterans returning from OIF and OEF and is the first in an ongoing program of research being conducted in partnership between the VA HSR&D/RR&D Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center of Excellence (RORC) and the San Juan VA Medical Center (SJVAMC) in San Juan. The Seamless Transition Resources and Information for Veterans and Educators (STRIVE), the Patient Education Evaluation Rating Scale (PEERS), and 12 PR OEF/OIF Fact Sheets to help veterans and families adjust following deployment are products developed in this project that can be used by other VA researchers, educators, and clinicians. The project highlighted that education materials on post-deployment readjustment should be directed to multiple targets: veterans, families, employers/coworkers, and the community at large and disseminated using various methods (i.e., printed formats, online, radio, television). The project underscored the need for materials written in the Spanish language and designed specifically for the PR population. The Seamless Transition Resources and Information for Veterans and Educators (STRIVE), the Patient Education Evaluation Rating Scale (PEERS), and 12 PR OEF/OIF Fact Sheets to help veterans and families adjust following deployment are products developed in this project that can be used by other VA researchers, educators, and clinicians.