Relationship between Body Mass Index and Diagnosis of Overweight or Obesity in Veterans Administration Population.
Onur BaserErdem BaserGabriela SamayoaPublished in: Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)
Background: This paper examined the gap between obesity and its diagnosis for cohorts of patients with overweight, obesity, and morbid obesity in the Veterans Administration (VA) population. Using the risk adjustment models, it also identified factors associated with the underdiagnosis of obesity. Methods: Analysis was performed on a VA data set. We identified diagnosed patients and undiagnosed patients (identified through BMI but not diagnosed using ICD-10 codes). The groups' demographics were compared using nonparametric chi-square tests. We used logistic regression analysis to predict the likelihood of the omission of diagnosis. Results: Of the 2,900,067 veterans with excess weight, 46% were overweight, 46% had obesity, and 8% of them had morbid obesity. The overweight patients were the most underdiagnosed (96%), followed by the obese (75%) and morbidly obese cohorts (69%). Older, male, and White patients were more likely to be undiagnosed as overweight and obese; younger males were more likely to be undiagnosed as morbidly obese. ( p < 0.05) Comorbidities significantly contributed to diagnosis. Conclusions : The underdiagnosis of obesity continues to be a significant problem despite its prevalence. Diagnosing obesity accurately is necessary to provide effective management and treatment.
Keyphrases
- weight loss
- bariatric surgery
- metabolic syndrome
- weight gain
- insulin resistance
- end stage renal disease
- type diabetes
- chronic kidney disease
- high fat diet induced
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- body mass index
- prognostic factors
- obese patients
- adipose tissue
- physical activity
- skeletal muscle
- machine learning
- deep learning
- electronic health record