Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis and Gender are Associated with Accelerated Weight Gain Trajectories in Veterans During the Post-deployment Period

Veterans may be prone to being obese and overweight; however, the reason for this is unclear. This study examined the Veterans Affairs (VA) health record data of 248,089 Veterans who returned from war. Results indicated that over half of the Veterans were overweight or obese; furthermore, the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis was associated with the body mass index (BMI) trajectory of both male and female Veterans, with a slightly stronger association for female Veterans.