title: Documentation of weight management practices for individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders.
abstract: METHODS
  This cross-sectional chart review study included 100 US Veterans with spinal cord injuries/disorders (SCI/D) who received care at a Veterans Affairs (VA) SCI facility during a 12-month period. Progress notes were examined to extract need for weight management (WM), patient-provider discussions about risk due to overweight/obesity, recommended lifestyle changes and/or follow-up and WM education.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To understand what WM services are offered to Veterans with SCI/D within the VA SCI System of Care during comprehensive preventive health evaluations (annual evaluations), inpatient stays and outpatient visits.
  
  
  METHODS
  VA SCI System of Care, Department of Veterans Affairs, United States.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 73% demonstrated a need for WM. Weight was most frequently addressed during the nutrition assessment of annual evaluations, but this assessment was most likely to be skipped. Nutrition histories were missing many key components. Over half received WM education; individuals who were described as overweight/obese by their provider were more likely to receive education. Most of the Veterans who were seen in an inpatient setting were weighed; weight was only discussed with 12%. Less than half of the Veterans with outpatient visits were weighed, and 23% received WM recommendations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weight was frequently discussed during nutrition assessments, but infrequently addressed during outpatient or inpatient encounters. Few Veterans received specific recommendations on caloric/nutrient requirements and nutrition histories were missing recommended elements. Additional work is needed to help providers to incorporate WM information into care.
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Hines VA Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Hines, IL, USA.|Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Hines VA Hospital, DVA, Hines, IL, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.affiliation: Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Hines VA Hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Hines, IL, USA.|Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, Hines VA Hospital, DVA, Hines, IL, USA.|Center for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: LaVela
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000068959:Body Weight Maintenance; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010045:Outpatients; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs