Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Mar;28(3):227-32. doi: 10.1002/gps.3815. Epub 2012 Apr 10.
The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between obesity and depressive symptoms and to test the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis among older Chinese.
A total of 736 rural Chinese aged 60 years and older participated in this cross-sectional study. Body mass index (BMI = kg/m(2) ) was calculated from the subjects' measured weight (kg) and height (meter). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30), with a cut-off point of 11.
Among 736 total participants, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 24.1% in men and 27.9% in women. A trend about depressive symptoms decreased with increasing BMI was found in men (χ(2) trend = 5.74, df = 1, p = 0.01). A weak inverse linear trend between obesity and depressive symptoms was observed among subjects. In men, obese group was less likely to suffer from depressive symptoms compared with normal weight group before or after adjustment for confounders, with odds ratios of 0.32 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12-0.85) and 0.28 (95% CI: 0.09-0.85), respectively. However, the association between BMI and depressive symptoms in women showed no significant differences.
Our results supported the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis only in rural older Chinese men, but not in women. Gender differences existed in the relationship between obesity and depressive symptoms.
本研究旨在探讨肥胖与抑郁症状之间的关系，并在中国老年人中检验“快乐胖”假说。
共有 736 名年龄在 60 岁及以上的农村居民参与了这项横断面研究。体重指数（BMI=kg/m2）由受试者的体重（kg）和身高（米）计算得出。使用 30 项老年抑郁量表（GDS-30）评估抑郁症状，截断值为 11。
在 736 名总参与者中，男性的抑郁症状患病率为 24.1%，女性为 27.9%。在男性中，随着 BMI 的增加，抑郁症状呈下降趋势（趋势 χ2=5.74，df=1，p=0.01）。在研究对象中，肥胖与抑郁症状之间存在较弱的负线性趋势。在男性中，与正常体重组相比，肥胖组在调整混杂因素前后发生抑郁症状的可能性分别降低了 0.32（95%置信区间（CI）：0.12-0.85）和 0.28（95% CI：0.09-0.85）。然而，女性 BMI 与抑郁症状之间的关联无显著差异。
我们的结果仅在中国农村老年男性中支持“快乐胖”假说，而在女性中则不支持。肥胖与抑郁症状之间的关系存在性别差异。
