In this Melbourne School of Population Health Research Seminar, Professor Philip Clarke will discuss the cohort study of Australian Vietnam War veterans.

This study looked at 60,228 Australian military personnel deployed between 1962 and 1975 during the Vietnam War. Probabilistic record linkage methods matched 51,528 individuals with up to 50 years of administrative data from the Australian Department of Veteran's Affairs. Physician-assessed disability claims by cause were stratified by rank, age and duration of deployment to understand the association between war-related service and subsequent disability.

As the long-term health effects among returning veterans are difficult to predict, an examination of disability among veterans from previous conflicts may assist in understanding the lifetime consequences of deployment.