Obesity prevalence among veterans at Veterans Affairs medical facilities.
Am J Prev Med
; 28(3): 291-4, 2005 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15766618
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Obesity is a significant public health problem in the United States. Comprehensive obesity prevalence data among veterans have not been previously reported.METHODS:
This is a cross-sectional analysis of 1,803,323 veterans receiving outpatient care at 136 Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities in 2000. Measured weight, height, and demographic data were used to obtain age-adjusted prevalences of body mass index (BMI) categories, which were stratified by gender and examined by age and race/ethnicity.RESULTS:
Of 93,290 women American veterans receiving care at VA medical facilities during 2000, 68.4% were at least overweight (body mass index [BMI]> or =25 kg/m(2)), with 37.4% classified as obese (BMI> or =30 kg/m(2)), and 6.0% as class-III obese (BMI> or =40 kg/m(2)). Of 1,710,032 men, 73.0% were at least overweight, 32.9% were obese, and 3.3% were class-III obese. Among women, obesity prevalence increased into the sixth and seventh decade of life before prevalence began to decline. Among men, prevalence was lowest for those aged <30 and >70. By race/ethnicity, Native American women (40.7%) and men (35.1%) had the highest prevalence of obesity, while Asian-American women (12.8%) and men (20.6%) had the lowest.CONCLUSIONS:
There is a substantial burden of obesity among veterans using VA medical facilities. A comprehensive approach for weight management by the Veterans Health Administration is needed.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Veteranos
/
Hospitais de Veteranos
/
Obesidade
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2005
Tipo de documento:
Article