Long Term Health Outcomes of Women Veterans' Service During the Vietnam Era (Health ViEWS)

• Characterize the physical health of women who served during the Vietnam Era. [ Time Frame: two years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Characterize the level of current disability in women who served during the Vietnam Era. [ Time Frame: two years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Little is known about the long-term health and mental health status of women Vietnam veterans. For many of these women, the effects of this war are still present in their daily lives. As these women approach their mid-sixties, it is important to understand the impact of wartime deployment on health and mental health outcomes nearly 40 years later. The investigators propose to assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental and physical health conditions for women Vietnam veterans, and to explore the relationship between PTSD and other conditions and the Vietnam deployment experience. The investigators are interested in studying women Vietnam veterans who may have had direct exposure to traumatic events. For the first time, the investigators also want to study those who served in facilities near Vietnam. These women may have had similar, but less direct exposures. This cross-sectional study will seek to contact approximately 10,000 women for participation in a mailed survey, telephone interview and a review of their medical records. Women identified as serving in Vietnam, near Vietnam (in Asia during the Vietnam Ware) and in the U.S. during the Vietnam War will be identified from an established cohort and sent a survey on demographics, behaviors, disability, health-related quality of life, and medical conditions. Women agreeing to be contacted will also be interviewed by study investigators using the modified CIDI to ascertain current and lifetime mental health conditions (including PTSD) and exposure to traumatic events. A more extensive chart review will be conducted by a clinician to validate self-report of key medical conditions.

For this study we will use a cohort of women who are on a roster of Vietnam Era women veterans (4,644 Vietnam, 1,213 near Vietnam, 5,465 non-Vietnam) previously identified and characterized by a review of their military personnel records and link it to a list of 8,061 women who presumably served in Southeast Asia. This final cohort could potentially contain approximately 14,000 women. After deceased individuals are removed from the active cohort and contact information is updated, we estimate that there could be approximately 10,000 women to whom the informed consent and mailed survey will be initially mailed.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular Disease

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women alive as of survey receipt who were active duty military personnel in one of the four Armed Services between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, with a 30 day minimum period of service.
• This will include those who served in Vietnam, near Vietnam (Guam, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Okinawa, or Thailand), or in the 50 United States.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent