By the Numbers: 6 July 2020

By the Numbers: 6 July 2020

5.8%

The percentage of U.S. Veterans who 'have co-occurring PTSD and obesity," according to a recent article published online before print in the journal Psychiatry Research -- PTSD and Obesity in U.S. Military Veterans: Prevalence, Health Burden, and Suicidality.
A nationally representative sample of the U.S. veterans was used to assess PTSD and obesity prevalence, co-occurrence and relationships with mental and physical health measures. A total of 16.4% of veterans screened positive for current PTSD, 32.7% for obesity, and 5.8% for co-occurring PTSD and obesity. Relative to obesity-only veterans, veterans with co-occurring PTSD and obesity had elevated likelihoods of mental and physical health concerns (most notably major depressive and generalized anxiety disorders), suicidality, and migraine headaches, and higher body mass indices. Relative to veterans with PTSD alone, individuals with comorbid PTSD and obesity had elevated likelihoods of suicidal ideation, nicotine dependence, mental health treatment, migraine headaches, diabetes, hypertension, and insomnia.