Research Article

The Social Determinants of Health in Military Forces of Iran: A Qualitative Study

Table 2

The extracted categories, subcategories, and codes of a theme.

ThemesCategoriesSubcategoriesCodesSemantic segments

Military social determinants of healthConditions of the military jobsType and nature of the jobLine and staff and operational jobs“The operational jobs have physical activity and mobility constantly. However, staff jobs are very sedentary and job tasks can be highly effective on the military forces’ health” (P 20)
Occupational corps/branches“The equipment and the type of occupational corps/branches such as infantry, artillery, and so forth, are introduced as determinants” (P 15)
Military missionsTypes of missions“The missions of military forces are different based on the conditions of wartime or peacetime” (P 16)
The place and region of missions“When a mission is given to a military person, the environmental and geopolitical issues such as humidity, temperature, wind, and so forth, are not being considered” (P 6)
Type of military forces and organizationEmployment in the ground forces, air forces, or navy“According to the force structure and the military forces’ jobs and missions, their types of diseases and health needs are different. Therefore, the force structure is a determinant” (P 14)
The differences in the military and police forces“Police forces are more interacting with people and have various stresses which can be transferred to their families” (P 4)
Difficulties and limitations of the military jobsMilitary rigid and inflexible regulations“The military disciplinary regulations are the other social factors affecting health in the military forces. There are rigid and inflexible regulations and rules” (P 13)
Getting away from family and society“A person who is on a mission in a naval ship for six months gets away from his family and friends and the social environment, and can be predisposed to particular diseases” (P 8)