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Posttraumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for obesity among male military veterans.

Vieweg WV, Julius DA, Bates J, Quinn JF, Fernandez A, Hasnain M, Pandurangi AK

Psychiatry and Medicine Services, Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Richmond, VA. vvieweg@visi.net

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a significant public health problem in the United States, particularly among military veterans with multiple risk factors. Heretofore, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has not clearly been identified as a risk factor for this condition. METHOD: We accessed both a national and local database of PTSD veterans. RESULTS: Body mass index (BMI) was greater (P < 0.0001) among male military veterans (n = 1819) with PTSD (29.28 +/- 6.09 kg/m(2)) than those veterans (n = 44 959) without PTSD (27.61 +/- 5.99 kg/m(2)) in a sample of randomly selected veterans from the national database. In the local database of male military veterans with PTSD, mean BMI was in the obese range (30.00 +/- 5.65) and did not vary by decade of life (P = 0.242). CONCLUSION: Posttraumatic stress disorder may be a risk factor for overweight and obesity among male military veterans.

Published 13 November 2007 in Acta Psychiatr Scand, 116(6): 483-7.
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