Naz Syeda Sarah, Ahmad Farah
Healthcare Management, College of Physician and Surgeons, Karachi, PAK.
Community Health Sciences, Ziauddin University, Karachi, PAK.
Cureus. 2022 May 4;14(5):e24730. doi: 10.7759/cureus.24730. eCollection 2022 May.
The prevalence of depression is increasing day by day, which predisposes individuals toward significant functional impairment, and increases the risk of suicide and comorbid physical health problems. Body mass index (BMI) and depression are supposed to be associated with each other; however, the effects of depression on body image have not been identified from the perspective of socioeconomic status, which has been considered a major risk factor for the development of depression. Hence, the study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of depression among adults in government schools and to analyze its association with BMI among different socioeconomic statuses.
It was a cross-sectional study conducted at two government schools in Shah Faisal colony from September to October 2019. The study participants were girls of age between 11 and 18 years belonging to different socioeconomic statuses, i.e. low, middle, and high. The calculated sample size was 550 which was calculated at 50% proportion of the total population. A self-developed proforma was administered for collecting demographic data, and students' weight and height were noted for calculating BMI. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9 modified depression scale was used to assess the depression among study participants. The chi-square test was applied to check the association between BMI and depression score. The study was approved by the IRB of CPSP Karachi and the reference code ME/HCSM/2019/TWC/G-054 was allotted. Results: There were 345 (62.7%) participants of age 13-15 years, and most of the participants belonged to middle socioeconomic status, 413 (75%). BMI calculation of study participants showed that 417 (75.8%) scored as underweight and 131 (23.8%) had a normal index. According to the PHQ9 scale, 381 (69.3%) participants were having mild depression and 60 (10.9%) had moderate depression. BMI and depression were not associated significantly with a p-value =0.135.
The BMI score of study participants seemed to be underweight or normal. The study could not rule out the association of BMI with depression. However, according to the PHQ9 scale score, many participants screened as sufferers of mild to moderate depression, which is alarming, as depression at the age of 11-18 years may predispose young girls to chronic disease and other psychological conditions.
抑郁症的患病率日益上升，这使个体面临严重的功能障碍，增加了自杀风险以及合并身体健康问题的风险。体重指数（BMI）与抑郁症被认为相互关联；然而，尚未从社会经济地位的角度确定抑郁症对身体形象的影响，而社会经济地位被视为抑郁症发展的主要风险因素。因此，本研究旨在评估公立学校成年人中抑郁症的患病率，并分析不同社会经济地位人群中抑郁症与BMI之间的关联。
这是一项于2019年9月至10月在沙阿费萨尔殖民地的两所公立学校进行的横断面研究。研究参与者为年龄在11至18岁之间、属于不同社会经济地位（即低、中、高）的女孩。计算得出的样本量为550，按总人口的50%比例计算。使用自行编制的表格收集人口统计学数据，并记录学生的体重和身高以计算BMI。采用患者健康问卷（PHQ）9改良抑郁量表评估研究参与者的抑郁情况。应用卡方检验来检验BMI与抑郁评分之间的关联。本研究获得了卡拉奇CPSP的IRB批准，并分配了参考代码ME/HCSM/2019/TWC/G - 054。
有345名（62.7%）参与者年龄在13至15岁之间，大多数参与者属于中等社会经济地位，有413名（75%）。研究参与者的BMI计算显示，417名（75.8%）体重过轻，131名（23.8%）指数正常。根据PHQ9量表，381名（69.3%）参与者患有轻度抑郁症，60名（10.9%）患有中度抑郁症。BMI与抑郁症无显著关联，p值 = 0.135。
研究参与者的BMI评分似乎体重过轻或正常。本研究无法排除BMI与抑郁症之间的关联。然而，根据PHQ9量表评分，许多参与者筛查出患有轻度至中度抑郁症，这令人担忧，因为11至18岁的抑郁症可能使年轻女孩易患慢性疾病和其他心理疾病。
