Research about war veterans has shown that they suffer from more physical and mental health problems than the general United States population (Singh et al, 2005). Even more health problems have been reported by veterans living in rural areas, as opposed to urban populations (Weeks et al., 2004; Weeks, Wallace, Wang, Lee, & Kazis, 2006). As the Vietnam veteran population is aging, and soon entering later life, researchers are examining the daily health need of these veterans.
The current study will be looking at health in Vietnam era veterans and their civilian counterparts. Variables that will be examined in relation to their health are: individual factors, marital interactions, family and social support, as well as rural and urban settings.