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
Comparative Study
. 2013 May;22(5):445-52.
doi: 10.1089/jwh.2012.4111.

Racial and ethnic differences in the association between obesity and depression in women

Margaret T Hicken  1 , Hedwig Lee, Briana Mezuk, Kiarri N Kershaw, Jane Rafferty, James S Jackson
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Racial and ethnic differences in the association between obesity and depression in women

Margaret T Hicken et al. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2013 May.

Abstract

Background: It is generally accepted that obesity and depression are positively related in women. Very little prior research, however, has examined potential variation in this relationship across different racial/ethnic groups. This paper examines the association between obesity and depression in non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American women.

Methods: The sample included women aged 20 years and older in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (n=3666). Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between obesity and depression syndrome (assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9), after adjusting for covariates. We then investigated whether this association varied by race/ethnicity.

Results: Overall, obese women showed a 73% greater odds of depression (odds ratio [OR]=1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19, 2.53) compared with normal weight women. This association varied significantly, however, by race/ethnicity. The obesity-depression associations for both Black and Mexican American women were different from the positive association found for White women (ORBlack*obese=0.24; 95% CI=0.10,0.54; ORMexican American*obese=0.42; 95% CI=1.04). Among White women, obesity was associated with significantly greater likelihood of depression (OR=2.37; 95% CI=1.41, 4.00) compared to normal weight. Among Black women, although not statistically significant, results are suggestive that obesity was inversely associated with depression (OR=0.56; 95% CI=0.28, 1.12) relative to normal weight. Among Mexican American women, obesity was not associated with depression (OR=1.01; 95% CI=0.59, 1.72).

Conclusions: The results reveal that the association between obesity and depression varies by racial/ethnic categorization. White, but not Black or Mexican American women showed a positive association. Next research steps could include examination of factors that vary by race/ethnicity that may link obesity to depression.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Flegal KM. Carroll MD. Kuczmarski RJ. Johnson CL. Overweight and obesity in the United States: Prevalence and trends, 1960–1994. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998;22:39–47. - PubMed
    1. Ogden CL. Carroll MD. Kit BK. Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012.
    1. Lloyd-Jones D. Adams R. Carnethon M, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2009 update: A report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2009;119:e21–181. - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC. Epidemiology of women and depression. J Affect Disord. 2003;74:5–13. - PubMed
    1. Hasin DS. Goodwin RD. Stinson FS. Grant BF. Epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcoholism and Related Conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:1097–106. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms