Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship between Obesity and Depression Treatment.
Using data from the 2004 to 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), this study examined the relationship between obesity and the treatment of depression across racial/ethnic subgroups, controlling for depressive symptoms, self-rated mental health, health status, and socioeconomic characteristics. The association between obesity and depression-related medication was significant for white women but not for black or Hispanic women. Similarly, the association between obesity and depression-related ambulatory visits was significant for white women but not for black or Hispanic women. The results for men were, in general, mixed and inconsistent. The significant racial/ethnic differences found in the relationship between obesity and depression treatment among women suggest that social and cultural factors might play important roles in depression treatment among women.
Social and Scientific Systems, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA. salam.abdus@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Salam
S
Abdus
Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA. samuel.zuvekas@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Samuel H
SH
Zuvekas
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult