Bidirectional Associations Between Obesity and Depressive Symptoms: Results From the Multiethnic Postmenopausal Cohort of the Women's Health Initiative Study.

OBJECTIVES

Although obesity and depression are prevalent among postmenopausal women, few cohort studies have examined the association between obesity and depression among this population. We examined longitudinal and bidirectional associations between obesity and depressive symptoms among U. S. postmenopausal women.

DESIGN

We analyzed data from Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study.

PARTICIPANTS

Sample consisted of 95,238 postmenopausal women, aged 50-79, from the WHI study who had obesity and depression data at baseline and 3-year follow-up.

MEASUREMENTS: The dataset included anthropometric measurements of height and weight and the Burnam self-report screening instrument for depression. We conducted logistic regression analyses to assess the bidirectional association between obesity and depressive symptoms, adjusting for confounding factors, including age, race, ethnicity, years since menopause, marital status, education, employment status, and family income.

RESULTS

At baseline, 11.3% of the women reported depressive symptoms and 25% were categorized as obese (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2). Women who were obese at baseline were significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms at 3-year follow-up (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.19-1.34) compared to women who were not obese. Women who reported depressive symptoms at baseline had higher odds of being obese at 3-year follow-up (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.20-1.46) compared to women who did not. Age, race, ethnicity, and years since menopause did not modify the associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings of longitudinal and bidirectional associations between obesity and depressive symptoms highlight the importance of addressing both diseases among postmenopausal women in the U.S.