Weight Change and Depression Among US Young Women During the Transition to Adulthood

By using data from wave 2 (in 1996) and wave 3 (in 2000-2001) of the US-based National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we investigated the association between young women's body weight and depression during the transition to adulthood. Respondents (n = 5,243) were 13-18 years of age du...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of epidemiology 2013-07, Vol.178 (1), p.22-30
Main Authors: FRISCO, Michelle L, HOULE, Jason N, LIPPERT, Adam M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Body Weight
Depression
Depression - epidemiology
Depression - etiology
Epidemiology
Female
General aspects
Humans
Logistic Models
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Mental health
Metabolic diseases
Miscellaneous
Mood disorders
Obesity
Obesity - complications
Obesity - epidemiology
Obesity - psychology
Original Contributions
Overweight - complications
Overweight - epidemiology
Overweight - psychology
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk Factors
United States - epidemiology
Weight control
Weight Gain
Womens health
Young Adult
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Summary:By using data from wave 2 (in 1996) and wave 3 (in 2000-2001) of the US-based National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we investigated the association between young women's body weight and depression during the transition to adulthood. Respondents (n = 5,243) were 13-18 years of age during wave 2 and 19-25 years of age during wave 3. We used Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores to classify young women as never depressed, consistently depressed, experiencing depression onset, or experiencing depression recovery from wave 2 to wave 3. Results from adjusted multinomial logistic regression models indicated that respondents who experienced significant weight gain were at risk of depression onset. Normal weight (adjusted odds ratio = 2.10, 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 3.84) and overweight (adjusted odds ratio = 1.86, 95% confidence interval: 1.15, 2.99) adolescent girls who were obese by young adulthood, as well as young women who were consistently obese during adolescence and young adulthood (adjusted odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval: 1.19, 3.26), had roughly twice the odds of depression onset as did young women who were never overweight. We concluded that weight gain and obesity are risk factors for depression onset during the transition to adulthood. Policies prioritizing healthy weight maintenance may help improve young women's mental health as they begin their adult lives.
ISSN:0002-9262
1476-6256
DOI:10.1093/aje/kws462