The VHAS investigates exposure to armed conflict during the Vietnam War and the health
and aging of Vietnamese war survivors
~ NEW PUBLICATION – VHAS DISSEMINATION REPORT ~
Early Life War Exposure and Late Life Health
FEATURES OF THE VHAS
VHAS is a longitudinal study that combines survey and biomarker methods. It uses a population-based sample and captures a spectrum of regional exposures.
- The study sampled 2,447 Vietnamese men and women aged 60 and older.
- Participants were randomly selected from 12 communes in 4 districts.
- Veterans and former militia members were oversampled.
- The survey is an omnibus survey with sections addressing health, military service, war-era traumatic stress exposure and symptoms, chronic and major life event stressors, and family and social relationships.
- In the field, interviewers team members collected biomarker data including body measurements, blood pressure, grip strength, and peak expiratory flow, as well as collecting hair and capillary blood samples
Goal: To measure early life trauma exposure and late life health to assess life course perspectives on scarring and resilience.
Project Support
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (R01 AG052537)
International Team
VHAS is an international collaboration, led by researchers from the USA, Vietnam, Canada, and Thailand.