Abstract
Objective: To examine factors associated with selfreported
unintended weight change in (ex-) military personnel
of the UK Armed Forces.
Design: A cohort study whereby a self-report questionnaire
was administered at baseline (2003–2005) and
follow-up (2007–2009).
Participants: A total of 6352 former and serving military
personnel of the UK Armed Forces.
Setting: United Kingdom.
Main outcome measures: Personnel were asked about
socio-demographic, military and (mental) health characteristics,
including screening measures for common mental
health disorders. Further, participants were asked to
report unintended weight fluctuations (none,<or> than
10 lbs in the past month). Multinomial regression analyses
were used to identify factors associated with self-reported
weight change at follow-up.
Results: Out of the 6352 former and serving military personnel,
123 (2.1%) reported unintended weight loss and
577 (9.0%) reported unintended weight gain in the past
month. At follow-up, multivariable analyses indicated that
unintended weight loss or weight gain was more likely to
be reported by those who screened positive for mental
health problems and those reporting weight changes at
baseline. Reported weight loss was more common
among smokers than non-smokers, whereas reported
weight gain at follow-up was associated with having a
higher BMI at baseline.
Conclusions: At follow-up, self-reported unintended
weight changes in former and serving military personnel
of the UK Armed Forces were found to be associated
with mental health problems, body mass index,
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Open |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2016 |
Keywords
- Body weight changes, cohort study, eating disorders, mental health, military personnel