title: Racial and ethnic differences in the association between obesity and depression in women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is generally accepted that obesity and depression are positively related in women. Very little prior research, however, has examined potential variation in this relationship across different racial/ethnic groups. This paper examines the association between obesity and depression in non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included women aged 20 years and older in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (n=3666). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between obesity and depression syndrome (assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), after adjusting for covariates. We then investigated whether this association varied by race/ethnicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, obese women showed a 73% greater odds of depression (odds ratio [OR]=1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19, 2.53) compared with normal weight women. This association varied significantly, however, by race/ethnicity. The obesity-depression associations for both Black and Mexican American women were different from the positive association found for White women (ORBlack*obese=0.24; 95% CI=0.10,0.54; ORMexican American*obese=0.42; 95% CI=1.04). Among White women, obesity was associated with significantly greater likelihood of depression (OR=2.37; 95% CI=1.41, 4.00) compared to normal weight. Among Black women, although not statistically significant, results are suggestive that obesity was inversely associated with depression (OR=0.56; 95% CI=0.28, 1.12) relative to normal weight. Among Mexican American women, obesity was not associated with depression (OR=1.01; 95% CI=0.59, 1.72).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results reveal that the association between obesity and depression varies by racial/ethnic categorization. White, but not Black or Mexican American women showed a positive association. Next research steps could include examination of factors that vary by race/ethnicity that may link obesity to depression.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. mhicken@umich.edu
authors: Margaret T
authors: MT
authors: Hicken
authors: Hedwig
authors: H
authors: Lee
authors: Briana
authors: B
authors: Mezuk
authors: Kiarri N
authors: KN
authors: Kershaw
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Rafferty
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American
references: Psychiatry Res. 1985 Jul;15(3):219-29
references: 3862157
references: Ann Epidemiol. 1995 Nov;5(6):455-63
references: 8680608
references: Am J Public Health. 2010 Jun;100(6):1040-6
references: 20395582
references: Med Anthropol. 1991 Sep;13(3):181-213
references: 1961102
references: Psychiatry Res. 2010 Jul 30;178(2):230-5
references: 20462641
references: Obes Rev. 2003 Nov;4(4):213-27
references: 14649372
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006 Jul;63(7):824-30
references: 16818872
references: J Affect Disord. 2003 Mar;74(1):5-13
references: 12646294
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 Mar;67(3):220-9
references: 20194822
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Sep 30;100(20):11696-701
references: 12975524
references: Obes Res. 2000 Nov;8(8):582-9
references: 11156434
references: JAMA. 2010 Jan 20;303(3):235-41
references: 20071471
references: Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Aug 1;54(3):200-7
references: 12893096
references: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998 Jan;22(1):39-47
references: 9481598
references: Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Jun;32(6):881-91
references: 18414420
references: Am J Prev Med. 2004 Oct;27(3):211-7
references: 15450633
references: Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Mar;30(3):513-9
references: 16302017
references: Annu Rev Public Health. 2005;26:239-57
references: 15760288
references: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;15(9):815-25
references: 17804833
references: J Soc Psychol. 2000 Aug;140(4):465-72
references: 10981375
references: J Am Diet Assoc. 1993 Apr;93(4):416-22
references: 8454809
references: Nutr J. 2005 Oct 06;4:27
references: 16209706
references: Brain Behav Immun. 2005 Jul;19(4):275-80
references: 15944067
references: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1999 Feb;23(2):166-73
references: 10078852
references: Diabetes Care. 2008 Dec;31(12):2383-90
references: 19033418
references: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 May;17(5):941-64
references: 19165161
references: Public Health Rep. 2010 Sep-Oct;125(5):698-708
references: 20873286
references: Diabetes Care. 2007 Mar;30(3):542-8
references: 17327318
references: J Psychosom Res. 1996 Jan;40(1):59-66
references: 8730645
references: Obes Rev. 2011 May;12(5):e438-53
references: 21414128
references: Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Jun;28(6):790-5
references: 15024401
references: Circulation. 2009 Jan 27;119(3):e21-181
references: 19075105
references: Am J Epidemiol. 2010 Dec 1;172(11):1238-49
references: 20884682
references: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Mar;28(3):227-32
references: 22492613
references: J Psychosom Res. 2002 Oct;53(4):913-6
references: 12377303
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Oct;62(10):1097-106
references: 16203955
references: Am J Public Health. 2000 Feb;90(2):251-7
references: 10667187
references: J Psychosom Res. 1980;24(5):233-41
references: 7205712
references: Hypertension. 2011 Jun;57(6):1076-80
references: 21502568
references: Am J Public Health. 2010 May;100(5):933-9
references: 19846689
references: World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2000;894:i-xii, 1-253
references: 11234459
references: J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13
references: 11556941
references: Br Med J. 1976 Jan 3;1(6000):7-9
references: 1247732
references: Am Psychol. 2004 Nov;59(8):761-769
references: 15554844
references: Am J Prev Med. 2005 Jun;28(5):415-23
references: 15894144
references: Pediatrics. 2009 Feb;123(2):697-702
references: 19171640
references: Am J Public Health. 2005 Jun;95(6):998-1000
references: 15914823
references: Am J Epidemiol. 2003 Dec 15;158(12):1139-47
references: 14652298