Incidence and prevalence of select cardiovascular risk factors and conditions, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2003-2012.

This report provides estimates of the incidence of select risk factors for cardiovascular disease among members of the active component of the Armed Forces. The definitions of incident cases of each risk factor were based upon the documentation of relevant diagnostic codes in the electronic health records of service members. Numbers of service members with diagnoses of each of the factors were: hyperlipidemia (n=300,340), obesity (n=235,407), hypertension (n=230,564), abnormal blood glucose level (n=47,009), and diabetes (n=13,901). Incidence rates of all the risk factors of interest increased with advancing age. Rates of diagnoses of hypertension and obesity were higher among black, non-Hispanic service members than among other racial/ethnic groups. Asian/Pacific Islanders had the highest rates of hyperlipidemia, abnormal blood glucose level, and diabetes. Male service members had higher rates of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, but females had higher rates of obesity and abnormal blood glucose level. Of all active component service members included in this analysis (n=3,297,786), 18.5 percent (n=611,185) were diagnosed with at least one of the risk factors during the ten-year surveillance period.