Name
#169 Prevalence of Obesity Medications in the Military Health System: An Update from 2022
Speakers
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Uniformed Services University
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care, Trending/Hot Topics or Other not listed
Learning Outcomes
1. Summarize the use of obesity medications in the MHS between fiscal years 2023 to 2024.
2. Summarize the change in obesity medication use since 2022.
3. Interpret who is most likely to use obesity medications between 2023 and 2024.
2. Summarize the change in obesity medication use since 2022.
3. Interpret who is most likely to use obesity medications between 2023 and 2024.
Session Currently Live
Description
Obesity continues to rise in the U.S. and among active-duty servicemembers, with approximately 22% meeting criteria for obesity and 68% for overweight or obesity. Although TRICARE began covering obesity medications (OMs) in 2018, our prior analysis (2018–2022) showed low utilization rates, only 0.56% among eligible beneficiaries and 0.44% among active-duty personnel. Since then, policy improvements have streamlined access to OMs, and public awareness of newer pharmacotherapies has increased substantially. Considering these changes, we sought to re-examine OM prescribing trends in the Military Health System (MHS) from 2023–2024 to assess whether these shifts have translated into increased utilization among eligible populations. A cross-sectional study of TRICARE Prime and Plus adult, ages 18 to 64, beneficiaries who used obesity medications during fiscal years (FY) 2023-2024. Prescription claims data was gathered from the MHS Data Repository to identify individuals prescribed one or more TRICARE approved OMs. Any medications whose primary use was for type 2 diabetes (e.g. Ozempic, Victoza, Mounjaro) were excluded. Health care claims data from the MDR and ICD-10 diagnosis codes were also used to identify individuals’ comorbidity status for prediabetes, type 2 diabetes with or without chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, and obstructed sleep apnea. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the prevalence of OM use and adjusted logistics regressions were used to identify statistically significant predictors of OM use. A total of 3,463,685 adult beneficiaries were identified during FY 2023-2024. OM use was observed in 1.5% of the total study population and 4.5% in those with overweight or obesity. Dependent beneficiaries were the predominant group (67.6%) to use OMs, followed by active-duty servicemembers (17.3%) and retirees (15.0%). The most commonly used OMs were Phentermine (45.8%), Wegovy (25.3%), Contrave (19.5%), Qsymia (15.1%), and Zepbound (13.6%). After adjustment for any of the selected comorbidities, significantly higher odds for any OM use were observed in females (OR=4.88, 95% CI=4.74-5.02), age groups between 30-59, and beneficiaries associated with a senior enlisted (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.22-1.33) or warrant officer (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.14-1.30) ranks, compared to their referent groups. Significantly lower odds were observed in Asian or Pacific Islander (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.35-0.39), Black (OR=0.88, 95% CI=0.86-0.91), and Hispanic (OR=0.82, 95% CI=0.79-0.85) racial and ethnic groups, and in active-duty servicemembers (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.70-0.74), compared to their referent groups. Despite modest increases in OM utilization within the MHS, overall rates remain low, particularly among active-duty and certain racial and ethnic groups. These findings highlight persistent disparities and suggest a continued need to address policy, access, and provider-level barriers to equitable obesity care.