Body mass index trends of military dependents: a cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Obesity is an epidemic affecting many people in the United States, to include military beneficiaries, with immediate and long-term implications on health care utilization and costs. We compared the body mass index (BMI) of officer vs. enlisted military-dependent spouses.


METHODS
Retrospective chart review of 7,226 random dependent spouses cared for at Madigan Army Medical Center. Statistical analysis of BMI was performed comparing the spouses of commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers.


RESULTS
There are a higher percentage of overweight and obese enlisted spouses when compared to officer spouses. In all age groups, BMI was 2.6 to 4.8 points higher in enlisted spouses, in both all-inclusive and female-specific analyses (p < 0.001). Male spouse BMI was not statistically different. BMI generally increased with age, with a statistically significant difference in BMI between age groups (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study shows that the average BMI of enlisted soldier's female spouses is significantly higher than officer spouses of similar age groups. A much larger proportion of enlisted spouses are obese. This analysis provides public health information for military primary care doctors and identifies at-risk individuals for targeted education and interventions.
Department of Family Medicine, Madigan Army Medical Center, 9040 Fitsimmons Drive, Tacoma, Washington, DC 98388.
James
J
Winegarner
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D066067:Military Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult