Abstract 11718: Prevalence and Trends of Overweight and Obesity Among United States Veterans From 2002 to 2016

Abstract

Objective: To present the age adjusted prevalence of obesity in men and women veterans by race and geographic region, and to examine the trends in body mass index over 14 years. Methods: We studied a random sample of one million adults from 2002 to 2016 who had height and weight measured at outpatient visits in the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical record system. We excluded those with prevalent cancer, gastric bypass procedures, and extremity amputations. We calculated the sex-specific and age adjusted prevalence of body mass index (obese >30 kg/m 2 ) categories by self-reported race, and geographical region. Results: From a total of 791,392 men, and 50,928 women, average age was 68 years for men and 52 years for women in 2016. Mean BMI was 30 ± 6 kg/m 2 for men and 30 ± 7 kg/m 2 for women. In all, 13% (n=97,861) men and 25% (n=12,510) women were Black, 77% (n=573,232) men and 59% (n=29,538) women were White, 0.9% (n=6,479 ) men and 1.2% (n=613) women were Asian, 0.7% (n=5,202) men and 0.9% (n=473) women were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 0.7% (n=4,490) men and 1% (n=510) women were American Indian. Over the 14-year period from 2002 to 2016, all racial groups were found to have a steady increase in prevalence of obesity except for Asians (Fig 1). Asian men and women had the lowest prevalence of obesity and morbid obesity (20% and 2% for men, 11% and 1% for women). Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian men and women had the highest increase in prevalence of morbid obesity comparing 2002 to 2016. Men and women in the Midwest had the highest prevalence of obesity and morbid obesity (32%, 6% for men and 31% and 8% for women). Women in the Northeast were found to have a decline in the prevalence of morbid obesity from 2002 to 2016. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has steadily increased in adult men and women veterans from 2002 to 2016 overall. However, there are differences across racial groups and geographic regions.