The association between depression, obesity and body composition in Iranian women

Summary: Objective: Depression and obesity are two serious health problems influencing both physical and mental health. Regarding the high prevalence of these two conditions and their high morbidity and mortality rates associated to both, investigation the association between them seems necessary. Method: This cross sectional study was conducted on 174 women with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 who referred to the obesity clinic of Sina hospital, through convenience sampling. Data from anthropometric measurements, Beck Depression inventory-II and body composition were collected and SPSS was used to statistical analysis. Results: Mean age of participants was 36.6 ± 8.8 year. The prevalence of dysthymic disorders in obese women was higher than in those with overweight. In women with obesity, the prevalence of severe depression, was higher than mild and moderate depression (P < 0.001). According to the linear regression analysis, increasing each score in depression score, increases the fat mass by 0.44 kg, significantly (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Depression and obesity follows a dose response association. According to the association between depression and obesity, focusing on interdisciplinary studies is suggested for the future researches.