title: Effect of sex and age on the association between suicidal behaviour and obesity in Korean adults: a cross-sectional nationwide study.
abstract: To examine the hypothesis that the relationship between obesity and the risk of suicidal behaviour would differ according to sex and age.
  
  
  
  Data from the 2007-2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used.
  
  
  
  36 211 adults with body mass index (BMI) data were included and the mean age was 49.6 years.
  
  
  
  BMI.
  
  
  
  Suicide ideation and attempts.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional study was performed. Multiple logistic regressions after controlling for socioeconomic variables and concomitant diseases were applied to see the relationship between obesity level and suicidal ideation or attempt.
  
  
  
  Women with severe obesity had the highest prevalence of suicide attempts and ideation, whereas among males, underweight men had the highest prevalence. After adjustment, obese men had a lower OR for suicide ideation (OR=0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.00). Among women, the ORs of severely obese and underweight women were 1.27 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.52) and 1.24 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.45), respectively. When grouped by age category, the ORs for suicide ideation in severely obese women aged 18 to <30 years or attempts in severely obese women aged 30 to <50 years were 2.30 (95% CI 1.36 to 3.89) and 3.07 (95% CI 1.50 to 6.31), respectively. However, overweight and obese women aged more than 50 years exhibited significantly less ORs of suicide ideation, when compared with counterparts of normal weight.
  
  
  
  The association between obesity and suicidal behaviour exhibited a different pattern by sex and age in South Korea. In particular, severely obese young women had a substantial risk of suicidal behaviour. Our study results highlighted the importance of obesity management in the prevention of suicide among young women, and may be helpful for the drafting of the health agenda in Asian countries with an obesity prevalence and culture similar to those in Korea.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of South Korea Daegu Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, Daegu, Republic of South Korea.
authors.forename: Dae-Kwon
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of South Korea.
authors.forename: Eui-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: obesity; suicidal behavior; suicide attempts; suicide ideation