The Link Between Depression and Body Weight
Author Information
Author(s): de Wit Leonore M, van Straten Annemieke, van Herten Marieke, Penninx Brenda WJH, Cuijpers Pim
Primary Institution: VU University Amsterdam
Hypothesis
Is there a U-shaped association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and depression?
Conclusion
The study found a significant U-shaped trend indicating that both underweight and obesity are associated with higher levels of depression.
Supporting Evidence
- The study found a very significant U-shaped association between BMI categories and depression.
- A significant difference in the association between males and females was indicated.
- Continuous BMI was not linearly associated with depression.
Takeaway
People who are either very thin or very heavy are more likely to feel sad than those who have a normal weight.
Methodology
The study used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 43,534 individuals, analyzing the relationship between BMI categories and depression using ANOVA and regression statistics.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data may lead to underestimation of weight and overestimation of height, potentially affecting the results.
Limitations
The study relied on self-reported data for BMI and had a significant number of missing values for both BMI and depression scores.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged between 18 and 90 years, with a balanced representation of genders.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p ≤ 0.001
Statistical Significance
p ≤ 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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