Original Article
International Journal of Obesity (2008) 32, 192–200; doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803701; published online 21 August 2007
Obesity and mental disorders in the general population: results from the world mental health surveys
K M Scott1, R Bruffaerts2, G E Simon3, J Alonso4, M Angermeyer5, G de Girolamo6, K Demyttenaere2, I Gasquet7, J M Haro8, E Karam9, R C Kessler10, D Levinson11, M E Medina Mora12, M A Oakley Browne13, J Ormel14, J P Villa15, H Uda16 and M Von Korff3
- 1Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Otago University, Wellington, New Zealand
- 2University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
- 3Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA, USA
- 4Institut Municipal d'Investigacio Medica (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- 5University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- 6Department of Mental Health, AUSL di Bologna, Italy
- 7Inserm, Paris, France
- 8Sant Joan de Deu-SSM, Barcelona, Spain
- 9Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy, and Applied Care (IDRAAC), Beirut, Lebanon
- 10Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- 11Ministry of Health, Mental Health Services, Jerusalem, Israel
- 12National Institute of Psychiatry, Mexico City, Mexico
- 13Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Studies in Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- 14Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- 15Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca University; Saldarriaga Concha Foundation, Bogota, Colombia
- 16Sensatsu Public Health Center, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Correspondence: Dr KM Scott, Department of Psychological Medicine, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. E-mail: kate.scott@otago.ac.nz
Received 13 November 2006; Revised 1 May 2007; Accepted 8 May 2007; Published online 21 August 2007.
Abstract
Objectives:
(1) To investigate whether there is an association between obesity and mental disorders in the general populations of diverse countries, and (2) to establish whether demographic variables (sex, age, education) moderate any associations observed.
Design:
Thirteen cross-sectional, general population surveys conducted as part of the World Mental Health Surveys initiative.
Subjects:
Household residing adults, 18 years and over (n=62 277).
Measurements:
DSM-IV mental disorders (anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, alcohol use disorders) were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), a fully structured diagnostic interview. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater; severe obesity as BMI 35+. Persons with BMI less than 18.5 were excluded from analysis. Height and weight were self-reported.
Results:
Statistically significant, albeit modest associations (odds ratios generally in the range of 1.2–1.5) were observed between obesity and depressive disorders, and between obesity and anxiety disorders, in pooled data across countries. These associations were concentrated among those with severe obesity, and among females. Age and education had variable effects across depressive and anxiety disorders.
Conclusions:
The findings are suggestive of a modest relationship between obesity (particularly severe obesity) and emotional disorders among women in the general population. The study is limited by the self-report of BMI and cannot clarify the direction or nature of the relationship observed, but it may indicate a need for a research and clinical focus on the psychological heterogeneity of the obese population.
Keywords:
cross-sectional surveys, general population, mental disorders, sex
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