Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Sep-Oct;125(5):698-708.
doi: 10.1177/003335491012500512.

Racial/ethnic differences in the association between obesity and major depressive disorder: findings from the Comprehensive Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys

Amelia R Gavin  1 , Tessa Rue, David Takeuchi
Affiliations

Racial/ethnic differences in the association between obesity and major depressive disorder: findings from the Comprehensive Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys

Amelia R Gavin et al. Public Health Rep. 2010 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined whether the association between obesity and 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) varied according to racial/ethnic status and nativity in representative national samples of black, Latino, Asian, and non-Hispanic white people.

Methods: We used data from the Comprehensive Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys.

Results: In analyses by gender, obesity was associated with an elevated risk of MDD among non-Hispanic white women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27, 2.35; p = 0.001). Formal test for interaction revealed significant variation by race present between non-Hispanic white women and black, Latin, and Asian women. No significant differences were evident among men. In analyses by nativity, the association between obesity and MDD was significant among U.S.-born non-Hispanic white women (AOR=1.62; 95% CI 1.16, 2.27; p = 0.001) and U.S.-born black women (AOR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.01, 1.66; p = 0.041). Significant interactions were present among U.S.-born white and black women, Latin women, and Asian women. No significant interactions were evident among foreign-born women. Similarly, no significant differences were present among native-born or foreign-born men.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the association between obesity and MDD varies according to racial/ethnic status and nativity. Understanding the link between obesity and depression may be imperative to designing interventions to address body weight maintenance and reduction strategies among women.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. JAMA. 2006;295:1549–55. - PubMed
    1. Mather AA, Cox BJ, Enns MW, Sareen J. Associations of obesity with psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviors in a nationally representative sample. J Psychosom Res. 2009;66:277–85. - PubMed
    1. Scott KM, Bruffaerts R, Simon GE, Alonso J, Angermeyer M, de Girolamo G, et al. Obesity and mental disorders in the general population: results from the world mental health surveys. Int J Obes (Lond) 2008;32:192–200. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Petry NM, Barry D, Pietrzak RH, Wagner JA. Overweight and obesity are associated with psychiatric disorders: results from the National Epidemologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Psychosom Med. 2008;70:288–97. - PubMed
    1. Barry D, Pietrzak RH, Petry NM. Gender differences in associations between body mass index and DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Ann Epidemiol. 2008;18:458–66. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types