Obesity treatment initiation, retention, and outcomes in the Veterans Affairs MOVE! Program among rural and urban veterans.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Rural veterans have high obesity rates. Yet, little is known about this population's engagement with the Veterans Affairs (VA) weight management program (MOVE!). The study objective is to determine whether MOVE! enrollment, anti-obesity medication use, bariatric surgery use, retention, and outcomes differ by rurality for veterans with severe obesity.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study using Veterans Health Administration patient databases, including VA patients with severe obesity during 2015-2017. Patients were categorized using Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes. Primary outcomes included proportion of patients and risk-adjusted likelihood of initiating VA MOVE!, anti-obesity medication, or bariatric surgery and risk-adjusted highly rural|Hazard Ratio (HR

SUBMITTER: Robinson KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9722450 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature