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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Tegan K Catlin, MPH, Vickie Boothe, W. Dana Flanders, MD, and Drue H Barrett, PhD. National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, Mailstop E-19, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-1834, toc4@cdc.gov
In the 1980s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the Vietnam Experience Study (VES) to examine the long-term health effects of military service in Vietnam through an assessment of post-service mortality, a detailed health interview, and a comprehensive medical evaluation. Results from the mortality study found that Vietnam veterans experienced excess all-cause and external cause mortality within the first five years after discharge compared with non-Vietnam veterans (1). A follow-up investigation is warranted because of the increased age of Vietnam-era veterans and the absence of up-to-date studies on the subject. Using a retrospective cohort design, we conducted a follow-up mortality study on the original VES cohort of 18,313 male U.S. Army veterans. Follow-up began on the date of discharge and continued until death or December 31, 2000. We ascertained vital status using three national databases, and obtained underlying cause-of-death from the National Death Index Plus. Using Cox proportional hazards regression models, we calculated adjusted mortality rate ratios comparing Vietnam veterans with veterans who did not serve in Vietnam, while taking into consideration effect modification and confounding. Additionally, we computed standardized mortality ratios to compare death rates of Vietnam and non-Vietnam veterans with the U.S. male population. Findings from this study will add to the knowledge of long-term health effects associated with service in Vietnam, particularly in terms of mortality from external causes and chronic conditions, including but not limited to, motor vehicle accidents, various cancers, and diseases of the circulatory, digestive, and respiratory systems.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mortality, Vietnam
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.