title: The relation between body mass index and self-rated mental health among older adults: do racial/ethnic differences exist?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine racial and ethnic differences in the relation between body mass index (BMI) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) among community-dwelling older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analyses of nationally representative data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-person household interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Older adults aged 60 and older (N = 2,017), including non-Hispanic white (N = 547), black (N = 814), Hispanic (N = 401), and Asian (N = 255) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  SRMH was measured with a single item, "How would you rate your own mental health?" BMI categories were underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), healthy weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)), and obese (≥30.0 kg/m(2)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A two-way analysis of covariance showed that after controlling for covariates, there was a significant main effect of race/ethnicity on SRMH, but the main effect of BMI was not significant. A significant interaction between BMI and race/ethnicity on SRMH was also found. The linear contrasts showed that white adults had a significant trend showing that SRMH decreased with increases in BMI, whereas black adults had a significant trend showing that SRMH increased with increases in BMI. The linear trends for Hispanic and Asian adults were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were significant racial/ethnic differences in the relation between BMI and SRMH. Understanding the role of race/ethnicity as a moderator of the relation between BMI and mental health may help improve treatment for older adults with unhealthy weights. Clinical implications are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Mental Health and Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL; Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Electronic address: Giyeon.Kim@ua.edu.
authors.forename: Giyeon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center for Mental Health and Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL; Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parmelee
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeCoster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
authors.forename: Ami N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Chiriboga
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Race/ethnicity; body mass index; older adults; self-rated mental health