Australian Vietnam Veterans Health Study: Cohort Wave 2 [ 2004 - 2005 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Dr Brian O'Toole (Principal investigator) ,  Jill Cockburn ,  Prof Stanley Catts

Brief description Military records show that Australia has committed troops to war since the time of the Boer War, continuing commitments through World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Malaya Emergency, the Vietnam Conflict, the Gulf War, and numerous peacekeeping operations across the world, yet there has never been an epidemiological cohort study that tracked the path of their health and their lives after their return. This study will provide an approximate 10-year followup of an established cohort of Australian Vietnam veterans, which was the first such study ever conducted of returned Australian servicemen. It will test diagnostic stability and chart the trajectory of health and welfare over time in the men and relate this to possible causal determinants including military service, combat deployment and trauma exposure, post traumatic stress disorder and alcohol disorders. It will also allow us to examine the role of their previous health state, determined 10 years ago, in relation to their current health state. Data and methodology from the Australian Bureau of Statistics national surveys on physical and mental health will be incorporated so that comparisons can be made with Australian population data for the study group. Significantly, wave 1 preceded automatic compensation for veterans for cancer and PTSD; provoked the DVA's national survey that led to a $32M government program response; fed into the DVA mental health policy; fed into the Army selection guidelines for overseas service via the Psychology Corps; fed into DVA policy re Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service. Wave 2 will continue this informative process as the cohort ages. This study will provide a firmer basis for treatment of war veterans and others whose lives are visited by trauma, physical ill-health, alcohol disorders, or mental health problems in adulthood.

Funding Amount $AUD 575,250.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant