Body mass index relates to males with posttraumatic stress disorder

Introduction: We looked at the relationships among post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic status (SES) in a newly formed PTSD program at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, VA. Methods: We reviewed 265 records and then selected only black and white male veterans (n=252) for study. Variables were: 1) age, 2) decade of life, 3) height, 4) weight, 5) sex, 6) race, and 7) SES (estimated using priority group status). Low income is an important variable determining priority group status. Results: About two-thirds of the veterans were in the age range of 50-59 years (Vietnam veterans). Their mean BMI was 30.2 +/- 5.6 kg/m(2), and this value did not separate by race. For exceeding national numbers, 84.1 % of our veterans were either overweight or obese. Veterans in the lower priority groups had greater (p=0.029) BMIs than their counterparts in higher priority groups. Conclusions: The pervasiveness of overweight and obesity in our PTSD population was profound. Our observations suggest that low SES is a likely contributor to veterans in lower priority groups having greater BMIs than veterans in higher priority groups.