Nearly a Quarter of Active-Duty 
U.S. Servicemembers Meet  
Obesity Definition
Weight-Loss Medication Use Increased Only Modestly
Obesity poses an increasing 
threat to U. S.  military readiness, 
with more than half of active-
duty servicemembers classified 
as overweight and about a 
fourth as obese.  Yet, weight 
loss medications continue to be 
underused.  Find out why and how 
increasing political pressure might 
change that.
by Brenda L. Mooney
BETHESDA, MD—Obesity medication utilization in 
the Military Health System has increased only mod-
estly since 2018 and remains low relative to disease 
prevalence, especially among active-duty and minority 
beneficiaries.
That’s according to a new study in Military Medicine, 
which pointed out that obesity poses an increasing 
threat to U.S. military readiness, with more than half 
of active-duty servicemembers classified as overweight 
and about one-fourth with obesity. Within the 
Military Health System (MHS), obesity contributes 
to service disqualification, musculoskeletal injury, and 
cardiometabolic disease, accounting for an estimated $2 
billion annually in combined costs.”1
While only 0.56% of beneficiaries (aged 18-64) were 
prescribed OMs between 2017-2022, an updated analysis 
showed utilization increased to 5.5% among eligible 
beneficiaries by 2023-2024, with 3-4% of active-duty 
servicemembers using them.
The trends within the MHS appear to trail what is 
going on with the general public in the United States. 
Prescriptions for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) 
agonists have skyrocketed, with what began as diabetes 
drugs being increasingly used for weight loss.
“Semaglutide, specifically Ozempic, usage increased 
10-fold for all study groups between 2018 and 2022, 
but the proportion of Ozempic prescribing decreased in 
2023 in the nondiabetic group,” according to a study 
last year in the American Journal of Managed Care. “We 
observed an increasing trend in Wegovy prescribing 
in the nondiabetic groups, with a significant jump in 
proportion among the nondiabetic obese/overweight 
group to 60% in 2023.”2
The University of Texas Health Houston School of 
Public Health -led authors added, “From 2018 to 2023, 
GLP-1 RA prescribing increased significantly, with 
semaglutide approved for weight loss rising to 60% share 
in the nondiabetic obese/overweight group. Trends 
showed a notable rise in prescriptions for nondiabetic 
and obese/overweight patients.”
The Military Medicine study from the Uniformed 
Services University of the Health Sciences, the Henry 
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