title: The relationship between obesity and elderly suicide rates: a cross-national study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An inverse relationship between obesity and suicide has been observed in younger adults, but this has not been examined in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-national ecological study examined the independent relationship between the prevalence of obesity and elderly suicide rates, by controlling for potentially confounding variables, using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elderly suicide rates in females were independently associated with the prevalence of obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caution should be exercised in attributing a causal relationship from this cross-sectional ecological study due to ecological fallacy and requires confirmation in individual-level case-control or cohort studies. ‎
authors.affiliation: University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom and Consultant Psychiatrist, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom. ajit.shah@wlmht.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014943:Global Health; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014944:World Health Organization