title: Associations Between Anxiety Disorder Diagnoses and Body Mass Index Differ by Age, Sex and Race: A Population Based Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few large studies have examined correlations between anxiety and body mass index (BMI) by gender or racial groups using clinical data.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine associations between diagnosed anxiety disorders and BMI, and evaluate whether observed associations varied by demographic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) data linkage system were analyzed to examine associations between anxiety disorders and BMI among adults ages 18-85 residing in Olmsted County, MN in 2009 (n=103,557). Height and weight data were available for 75,958 people (73%). The international classification of underweight, overweight, and obesity by BMI was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Population consisted of 56% females, 92.8% White individuals, with median age of 46 years. When adjusted for age, sex, and race, we observed a U-shaped association between anxiety and BMI group. Underweight and obese individuals were more likely to have an anxiety diagnosis compared to normal weight individuals. Stratification by sex yielded a U-shaped association between anxiety and BMI only in women. Stratification by race showed a U-shaped association between anxiety and BMI only in the White population. Anxiety was significantly associated only with obesity in the Black population. Anxiety was not associated with a BMI category in Asian or Hispanic groups. Among elderly group, there is inverse correlation between anxiety and obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that anxiety may have heterogeneous associations with BMI in the population. Further research on potential mechanisms contributing to these findings will help direct efforts in anxiety and obesity management across diverse population groups.
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Ramona S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: DeJesus
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Carmen R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Breitkopf
authors.affiliation: Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Robert D and Patricia E Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jon O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Ebbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Robert D and Patricia E Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Lila J Finney
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rutten
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Debra J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Robert D and Patricia E Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: St Sauver
keywords: Anxiety; Body mass index; Correlation; Gender; Population based; Race