Military Service and Smoking in a Cohort of Northern Vietnamese Older Adults

Kim Korinek, University of Utah
Peter Loebach, University of Utah
Ha N. Trinh, University of Utah

Building upon scholarship which has demonstrated the ill effects of military induced smoking upon mortality and morbidity in U.S. service members, we ask whether there is an association between military service and smoking behavior in Northern Vietnamese older adult men, a population characterized by some of the world's highest rates of smoking prevalence. We use data from the 2010 Vietnam Health and Aging Pilot Study (VHAPS) to conduct an analysis of the association between military service in young adulthood and smoking behavior over the life course. We find that, compared to nonveterans and militia participants, military veterans exhibit the highest rates of present and lifetime smoking behavior. Furthermore, amongst the veteran population, those who participated in veterans associations demonstrate particularly high rates of lifetime smoking. Results of these analyses will advance understanding of military service and war as they influence public health in post-conflict populations of less developed countries.