Objectives Previous studies of clinical samples of adults with bipolar disorder (BD) suggest that there is increased prevalence of obesity and that obesity is associated with greater BD severity. We therefore examined this topic in a representative epidemiologic sample. Methods The 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions was used to determine whether the prevalence of obesity is elevated among subjects with lifetime BD, and whether obesity is associated with greater severity of BD. Results The age-, race-, and sex-adjusted prevalence of obesity was significantly greater among subjects with BD versus controls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.45–1.89, p < 0.001]. Obesity among subjects with BD was significantly positively associated with greater age, female sex, comorbid anxiety and medical conditions, and depression-related treatment utilization, and significantly negatively associated with past-year substance use disorder (SUD). In multivariable analyses, obesity among adults with BD was positively associated with age, comorbid anxiety disorders, duration of depressive episodes, and history of hospitalization for depression, and negatively associated with past-year SUD. Conclusions The increased prevalence of obesity in BD and its association with illness severity, particularly in relation to depression, cannot be attributed to biases inherent in treatment-seeking samples. Future studies are needed to examine the direction of the observed associations and to develop preventive and treatment strategies seeking to mitigate the burden of obesity in BD.

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Background: Universal coverage for dental care is a topical policy debate across Canada, but the impact of dental insurance on improving oral health-related outcomes remains empirically unexplored in this population. Methods: We used data on individuals 12 years of age and older from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2013-2014 to estimate the marginal effects (ME) of having dental insurance in Ontario, Canada's most populated province (n = 42,553 representing 11,682,112 Ontarians). ME were derived from multi-variable logistic regression models for dental visiting behaviour and oral health status outcomes. We also investigated the ME of insurance across income, education and age subgroups. Results: Having dental insurance increased the proportion of participants who visited the dentist in the past year (56.6 to 79.4%, ME: 22.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 20.9-24.7) and who reported very good or excellent oral health (48.3 to 57.9%, ME: 9.6, 95%CI: 7.6-11.5). Compared to the highest income group, having dental insurance had a greater ME for the lowest income groups for dental visiting behaviour: dental visit in the past 12 months (ME highest: 17.9; 95% CI: 15.9-19.8 vs. ME lowest: 27.2; 95% CI: 25.0-29.3) and visiting a dentist only for emergencies (ME highest: -11.5; 95% CI: − 13.2 to − 9.9 vs. ME lowest: -27.2; 95% CI: − 29.5 to − 24.8).Conclusions: Findings suggest that dental insurance is associated with improved dental visiting behaviours and oral health status outcomes. Policymakers could consider universal dental coverage as a means to support financially vulnerable populations and to reduce oral health disparities between the rich and the poor.