Co-occurring alcohol use disorder and obesity in U.S. military veterans: Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical...

Obesity and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are two of the most prevalent and costly clinical conditions among U.S. military veterans, and these conditions often co-occur. However, little is known about the clinical correlates of co-occurring obesity and AUD, which is critical to informing effective interventions. The current study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 4069 (3463 males, 479 females) veterans, who completed an online survey. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test was used to identify veterans who screened positive for probable AUD (pAUD) and self-reported height and weight was used to calculate body mass index and identify veterans with obesity. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine differences between four groups: controls (no current AUD or obesity), pAUD only, obesity only, and pAUD + obesity. A total of 1390 (36.1%) veterans had obesity, 10.5% (n = 359) had pAUD, and 3.7% (n = 124) had pAUD and obesity. Relative to veterans without AUD, Veterans with pAUD were less likely to have normal/lean weight (14.6% versus 21.4%) and more likely to have overweight (49.6% versus 41.7%). Veterans with pAUD + obesity were nearly twice as likely than veterans with pAUD to report three or more adverse childhood experiences. The results of this study help inform the clinical presentation and needs of veterans with co-occurring obesity and AUD. They also underscore the importance of regularly monitoring weight among veterans with AUD, and considering the role of childhood adversity as a risk factor for co-occurring AUD and obesity.