P4880 - A Single-Center Prospective Study on PTSD and Obesity in the Veteran Population

Chukwudumebi Uche, DO¹, Niketa Patel, PhD², Hariom Yadav, PhD¹, Shalini Jain, PhD¹, Lisa Brenner, PhD³, Andrew Hoisington, PhD³, Philip Foulis, MD², Prasad Kulkarni, MD¹, Jason Colizzo, MD², Jose lezama, MD², Gitanjali Vidyarthi, MD², Kyle Stephens, MD², Rahul Mhaskar, MPH, PhD^1
1University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; ²James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL; ³University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO

Introduction: Obesity is a major contributor to serious health outcomes, and maintaining a healthy weight is a critical public health goal. Our previous retrospective case-control study demonstrated that veterans with psychiatric illness, particularly PTSD, had the highest risk of weight gain; especially when faced with stressors. Despite following guideline-recommended weight loss strategies, this patient population is resistant to weight loss and are often dropped off treatment regimens leading to more weight gain. In this prospective study, we sought to better understand this population by identifying barriers to weight loss from the patient's perspective.

Methods: This single-institution prospective study at the Tampa Veterans Affairs Hospital included patients with PTSD and obesity (BMI > 30) who previously failed weight-loss strategies and were dropped off treatment regimens. 16 questions were generated using ChatGPT. Questions were modified to suit our study and review of literature. All patients were interviewed by 2 faculty physicians trained in obesity medicine between July and November of 2023. The duration of the interview lasted up to 23 minutes. The goal of the interview was to evaluate barriers to weight loss from the patient's perspective and assess the correlation between PTSD and weight gain, trust with providers, sleep patterns, and their ideal frequency of follow-up.

Results: 56 patients (52 males, 4 females, mean age 53 years) were included in our study. Most patients (78.6%) had a PTSD diagnosis longer than 10 years. 92.9% of patients reported weight gain following their PTSD diagnosis. 94.1% of patients attributed their initial weight gain to acute stressors. The reported barriers for losing weight included: lack of motivation n= 21, physical limitations n=12, limited support n=4, and using food for comfort n=15. A combination of factors was reported in 4 patients (Figure 1). 95% of veterans trusted their providers at the VA and 87.5% reported experiencing sleep disturbance. 46 patients requested frequent visits with health care providers during weight loss interventions. 52 patients said they desired empathy and support from providers during their weight loss journey.

Discussion: In this study, the most common barriers to weight loss identified included lack of motivation and using food as emotional comfort. Our study highlights the importance of direct patient-clinician interaction and the need for aggressive broad-based intervention in this challenging population.



Disclosures:


Chukwudumebi Uche, DO¹, Niketa Patel, PhD², Hariom Yadav, PhD¹, Shalini Jain, PhD¹, Lisa Brenner, PhD³, Andrew Hoisington, PhD³, Philip Foulis, MD², Prasad Kulkarni, MD¹, Jason Colizzo, MD², Jose lezama, MD², Gitanjali Vidyarthi, MD², Kyle Stephens, MD², Rahul Mhaskar, MPH, PhD¹. P4880 - A Single-Center Prospective Study on PTSD and Obesity in the Veteran Population, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.