title: Associations between mental health disorders and body mass index among military personnel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if overweight or obesity is associated with mental health disorder (MHD) symptoms among military personnel Methods: Secondary analysis using the 2005 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey (N = 15,195). Standard Body Mass Index (BMI) categories were used to classify participants' body composition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For women, obesity was associated with symptoms of serious psychological distress (SPD), post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. For men, obesity and overweight was associated with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and SPD, respectively. Self-reported high personal stress was the strongest predictor of MHD symptoms and suicide attempts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reported stress was a stronger predictor of MHD symptoms than BMI. There is potential value in screening personnel for personal stress as a MHD risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, USA. tracey.smith10.civ@mail.mil.
authors.forename: Tracey J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Abt Associates, Inc., Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Abt Associates, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hadden
authors.affiliation: Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Bernadette P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Marriott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult