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The burden of obesity among a national probability sample of veterans

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Few national data exist about the prevalence of obesity and the resulting health burden among veterans.

METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=242,362) to compare rates of obesity among veterans who do and do not utilize the VA, compared with nonveterans. We used bivariate analyses to describe the association of obesity with lifestyle factors, disability, and comorbid disease, and multivariate analysis to assess the independent association of obesity with VA care.

RESULTS: Veterans who use the VA for health care have the highest rates of obesity compared with veterans who do not use the VA and nonveterans (27.7% vs 23.9% vs 22.8%,P<.001). Only 27.8% of veterans who receive health care at the VA are of normal weight (vs 42.6% of the general population,P<.001), 44.5% are overweight, 19.9% have class I obesity, 6% have class II obesity, and 1.8% are morbidly obese (an estimated 82,950 individuals). Obese veterans who utilize the VA for services have higher rates of hypertension (65.8%) and diabetes (31.3%), are less likely to follow diet and exercise guidelines, and more likely to report poor health and disability than their normal-weight counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS: Veterans who receive care at the VA have higher rates of overweight and obesity than the general population. At present, less than half of VA medical centers have weight management programs. As the largest integrated U.S. health system, the VA has a unique opportunity to respond to the epidemic of obesity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Primary and Specialty Medical Care Service, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA

    Karin M. Nelson MD, MSHS

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Karin M. Nelson MD, MSHS

  3. Health Services Research and Development, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA

    Karin M. Nelson MD, MSHS

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  1. Karin M. Nelson MD, MSHS
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Correspondence to Karin M. Nelson MD, MSHS.

Additional information

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This study received funding from the Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA (ERIC XVA 61). This research was presented in part at the April 26–29, 2006 annual meeting of the Society for General Internal Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, at the May 16–19 CDC Diabetes and Obesity Conference 2006, Denver, CO, and at the June 25–27 Academy Health Annual Research Meeting, Seattle, WA.

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Nelson, K.M. The burden of obesity among a national probability sample of veterans. J GEN INTERN MED 21, 915–919 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02743137

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02743137

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