The Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health (CMVH) has launched its largest study into the health of returned Australian troops.
CMVH researchers will use a survey to examine the physical, emotional and environmental effects on 12,000 current and former personnel who served in East Timor and Bougainville.
The East Timor and Bougainville Health Study is the third phase of the Australian Defence Force (ADF)-funded Deployment Health Surveillance Program (DHSP) which will inform the health needs of former, current and future troops.
CMVH is a consortium of the University of Queensland, University of Adelaide and Charles Darwin University, which seeks solutions to military and veterans’ health issues through research, education, e-Health and public debate.
“Our aim is to provide a snapshot of the overall health of deployed personnel, in comparison with a non-deployed group and the general Australian population,” DHSP Head Associate Professor Susan Treloar said.
“This will enable the ADF to assess its deployment policies and the DVA [Department of Veterans’ Affairs] to further develop its support programs.
“Essentially, by participating in the study, respondents will not only benefit themselves, but also other members of the ADF and their families.”
Associate Professor Treloar said survey participants could complete the questionnaire on their health and deployment experiences by a range of methods including online.
ADF personnel who served in East Timor between 1999 and 2005 on Operations FABER, SPITFIRE, WARDEN, TANAGER, CITADEL and SPIRE are being invited to take part.
Personnel deployed for peace monitoring to Bougainville between 1997 and 2003 as part of Operations BELISI I AND II are also being approached.
A sample of those who were not deployed will also be chosen to be representative of the age, gender and service spread of all deployed troops.
The DHSP was launched in 2006 with a pilot study on the International Force in East Timor.
In November 2007, researchers completed data collection for the Solomon Islands Health Study, which surveyed troops deployed on the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands between July 2003 and December 2005.
Former and current service personnel and their families seeking more information about the DHSP can visit www.uq.edu.au/cmvh/DHSP or contact the Research Team on 1800 886 567 or dhsp@cmvh.uq.edu.au.
MEDIA: Associate Professor Treloar (3346 4904, s.treloar@uq.edu.au) or Alan Pinsker at CMVH (3346 4903, a.pinsker@uq.edu.au)
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