Sachs-Ericsson Natalie, Burns Andrea B, Gordon Kathryn H, Eckel Lisa A, Wonderlich Steven A, Crosby Ross D, Blazer Dan G
Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. sachs @psy.fsu.edu
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;15(9):815-25. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3180a725d6.
Although the long-term health risks associated with obesity in older adults have been well documented, less is known about the psychological consequences. The current study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and subsequent depressive symptoms. The authors anticipated that BMI would predict depressive symptoms, and that this relationship would be greater among women, individuals of higher socioeconomic status (SES), and white subjects.
A three-year longitudinal epidemiological design was employed. Participants were obtained from a biracial sample of community-dwelling older adults (N = 2,406) and were interviewed in their home by trained interviewers. A comprehensive survey assessed age, gender, race, SES (education and income), and health functioning variables. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. BMI was derived from self-reported weight and height.
BMI was found to predict depressive symptoms. Contrary to predictions, the influence of BMI on depressive symptoms was greater for African Americans than whites and, in particular, African Americans with less education. There were no sex differences.
Among older adults, BMI was associated with depressive symptoms although the effect size was small. Factors contributing to this relationship may differ from those observed in younger populations, for example, health functioning may play a larger role. Obesity appears to have the most adverse impact on those who are most likely to be overweight, lower SES African Americans.
尽管老年人肥胖相关的长期健康风险已有充分记录，但对其心理后果的了解较少。本研究调查了体重指数（BMI）与后续抑郁症状之间的关系。作者预计BMI能够预测抑郁症状，且这种关系在女性、社会经济地位（SES）较高的个体以及白人受试者中更为明显。
采用了为期三年的纵向流行病学设计。研究对象来自一个包含不同种族的社区居住老年人样本（N = 2406），由经过培训的访谈员在其家中进行访谈。一项综合调查评估了年龄、性别、种族、SES（教育程度和收入）以及健康功能变量。使用流行病学研究中心抑郁量表评估抑郁症状。BMI由自我报告的体重和身高得出。
发现BMI能够预测抑郁症状。与预测相反，BMI对非裔美国人抑郁症状的影响比对白人更大，尤其是对教育程度较低的非裔美国人。不存在性别差异。
在老年人中，BMI与抑郁症状相关，尽管效应量较小。导致这种关系的因素可能与在年轻人群中观察到的不同，例如，健康功能可能发挥更大作用。肥胖似乎对最有可能超重的低SES非裔美国人产生最不利的影响。
