The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 195: 149-155. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.057299
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Association between common mental disorder and obesity over the adult life course

Mika Kivimäki, PhD

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK, and Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

G. David Batty, PhD

MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, UK

Archana Singh-Manoux, PhD

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK, and INSERM U687-IFR69, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif Cedex, France

Hermann Nabi, PhD and Séverine Sabia, PhD

INSERM U687-IFR69, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif Cedex, France

Adam G. Tabak, MD, PhD

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK, and Semmelweis University Faculty of Medicine, 1st Department of Medicine, Hungary

Tasnime N. Akbaraly, PhD

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK

Jussi Vahtera, MD

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

Michael G. Marmot, PhD and Markus Jokela, PhD

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK

Correspondence: Mika Kivimäki, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1–19 Torrington Place, WC1E 6BT London, UK. Email: m.kivimaki{at}ucl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest

None.

Funding

The Whitehall II study has been supported by grants from the Medical Research Council; British Heart Foundation; Health and Safety Executive; Department of Health; National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (HL36310), US, NIH: National Institute on Aging (AG13196), US, NIH; Agency for Health Care Policy Research (HS06516); and the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation Research Networks on Successful Midlife Development and Socioeconomic Status and Health. M.K. and J.V. are supported by the Academy of Finland (Projects no. 117604, 124322); G.D.B. is a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow; A.S.-M. is supported by a `EURYI' award from the European Science Foundation; and M.G.M. is supported by a MRC Research Professorship.

Background

Prospective data on the association between common mental disorders and obesity are scarce, and the impact of ageing on this association is poorly understood.

Aims

To examine the association between common mental disorders and obesity (body mass index >=30 kg/m2) across the adult life course.

Method

The participants, 6820 men and 3346 women, aged 35–55 were screened four times during a 19-year follow-up (the Whitehall II study). Each screening included measurements of mental disorders (the General Health Questionnaire), weight and height.

Results

The excess risk of obesity in the presence of mental disorders increased with age (P = 0.004). The estimated proportion of people who were obese was 5.7% at age 40 both in the presence and absence of mental disorders, but the corresponding figures were 34.6% and 27.1% at age 70. The excess risk did not vary by gender or according to ethnic group or socioeconomic position.

Conclusions

The association between common mental disorders and obesity becomes stronger at older ages.


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