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Despite higher education, women with obesity have risk for depression
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The risk for depression is doubled in women with higher educations and BMI of 30 to 34.9 kg/m2 compared with normal-weight women with the same level of education, according to study findings published in Obesity Research and Clinical Practice.
“Previous research has shown an association of depression and obesity with low education, but we’re showing it also exists with women who have higher education as well,” Ashley Wendell Kranjac, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in population health in the department of sociology at Rice University in Houston, said in a press release. “I was surprised by the finding. Usually higher education is associated with all the good things, like higher income, better neighborhoods, greater access to health care and better overall health, and you’d never think education and obesity combined could have this effect on mental health.”
Ashley Wendell Kranjac
Kranjac and colleagues evaluated data from a sample of 1,928 women in the Buffalo-Niagara region between 1997 and 2001 to determine the link between depressive symptoms and BMI. Participants were categorized by BMI: underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2), obese I (30-34.9 kg/m2), obese II (35-39.9 kg/m2) or obese III (> 39.9 kg/m2).
Participants with depression were more likely to have obesity (P < .01). There was a small association between increased weight and depression scores (P < .001) and weak inverse relationships between depression and education (P < .001) and education and BMI (P < .01).
Participants classified as obese I (OR = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.11-2.22) and obese II/III (OR = 1.88; 95% CI, 1.29-2.76) had significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms compared with the other groups.
Compared with normal-weight participants, the obese I group had 43% higher odds of depressive symptoms and the obese II/III group had 57% higher odds.
Significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms were found among the obese I group with more than 12 years of education compared with the normal-weight group with the same education level (adjusted OR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.27-3.62). Similarly, significantly higher odds of depressive symptoms were found for the obese I group with a college education compared with the normal weight group with the same education level (adjusted OR = 2.82; 95% CI, 0.99-8.08).
“When working with mental health and obesity, the comorbid relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity should be considered,” Kranjac told Endocrine Today. “Also, that the protective effect of education does not occur in isolation of other relevant factors and that these combined effects should be considered in treatment of both.” – by Amber Cox
For more information:
Ashley Wendell Kranjac , PhD , can be reached at awkranjac@rice.edu.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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