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The VHAS investigates exposure to armed conflict during the Vietnam War and the health and aging of Vietnamese war survivors

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.

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Last Updated: 7/3/23