Association between lifetime stress and obesity in Canadians

Abstract Background Obesity has been linked to stress, but there is lack of strong evidence from general populations. Methods The analysis was based on data from 112,716 Canadians aged 18 years or more who participated in a national survey conducted in 2007–2008. A questionnaire covered the informat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Preventive medicine 2012-11, Vol.55 (5), p.464-467
Main Authors: Chen, Yue, Qian, Lingjia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Body Mass Index
Canada - epidemiology
Comorbidity
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Internal Medicine
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
National survey
National surveys
Obese women
Obesity
Obesity - epidemiology
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sex Distribution
Stress
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Woman
Women
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Summary:Abstract Background Obesity has been linked to stress, but there is lack of strong evidence from general populations. Methods The analysis was based on data from 112,716 Canadians aged 18 years or more who participated in a national survey conducted in 2007–2008. A questionnaire covered the information on self-perceived lifetime stress, height, and weight. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between chronic stress and obesity. Results The crude prevalence of obesity was 18.1% for men and 16.0% for women. A small proportion (3.7%) of the participants reported being extremely stressed most days in their lives and 19.1% reported being quite a bit stressed, and the proportions of stress were slightly higher in women than in men. Overall, those who reported being extremely stressed (adjusted OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.35) or those who reported being quite a bit stressed (adjusted OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.15) had an increased risk of obesity compared with who were not at all stressed. The adjusted odds ratio was 1.44 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.35) for women who were extremely stressed compared with women who were not at all stressed. Conclusion Lifetime stress was associated with an increased risk of obesity especially in women.
ISSN:0091-7435
1096-0260
DOI:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.08.013