Depressive symptoms in women's midlife in relation to their body weight before, during and after childbearing years

Abstract

SummaryObjectiveThis study aimed to examine how weight and weight changes related to pregnancy were associated with depressive symptoms 11–16 years after childbirth.MethodWe followed 16,998 first‐time mothers from the Danish National Birth Cohort up till 16 years after birth and estimated associations between depressive symptoms and pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI) (kg m−2), weight changes in different time periods, and BMI‐adjusted waist circumference 7 years after birth (WCBMI, cm). Depressive symptoms were estimated by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression 10‐item scale. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsCompared with normal‐weight, we found that underweight, overweight and obesity were associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms (1.29, 1.24 and 1.73, respectively). Compared with weight change ±1 BMI unit during the total follow‐up period, greater odds for depressive symptoms were observed with weight loss (OR 1.14, 0.96–1.36) or gain of 2–2.99 kg m−2 (OR 1.11, 0.92–1.33) or gain of ≥3 kg m−2 (OR 1.68, 1.46–1.94). WCBMI > 2.2 cm was associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms (OR 1.16, 0.99–1.36) than waist circumference as predicted by BMI.ConclusionLow and high pre‐pregnancy BMI, weight changes and WCBMI larger than predicted were associated with more depressive symptoms in midlife.

A Potential Role for Insulin Treatment During Pregnancy in Reducing Postpartum Psychological Distress in Maternal Obesity: An Administrative Population Health Study

“…They also studied if waist circumference (WC) adjusted for BMI (WC BMI ) 7 years after childbirth (as an indicator for abdominal adiposity) was associated with depressive symptoms. The authors found that women with a larger waist circumference than predicted by their BMI reported more depressive symptoms than women with a WC in accordance with their BMI [47]. In our study, we estimated a 9% misclassi cation rate among the women with obesity.…”

“…The use of BMI to classify individuals and its utility as a measure of health has been consistently contested in the literature [45,46]. A recent Danish study looked at the association between weight and depressive symptoms in a group of women followed for up to 16 years after their rst birth [47]. They also studied if waist circumference (WC) adjusted for BMI (WC BMI ) 7 years after childbirth (as an indicator for abdominal adiposity) was associated with depressive symptoms.…”

A potential role for insulin treatment during pregnancy in reducing postpartum psychological distress in maternal obesity: An administrative population health study

“…They also studied if waist circumference (WC) adjusted for BMI (WC BMI ) 7 years after childbirth (as an indicator for abdominal adiposity) was associated with depressive symptoms. The authors found that women with a larger waist circumference than predicted by their BMI reported more depressive symptoms than women with a WC in accordance with their BMI [46]. In our study, we estimated a 9% misclassi cation rate among the women with obesity.…”

“…The use of BMI to classify individuals and its utility as a measure of health has been consistently contested in the literature [44,45]. A recent Danish study looked at the association between weight and depressive symptoms in a group of women followed for up to 16 years after their rst birth [46]. They also studied if waist circumference (WC) adjusted for BMI (WC BMI ) 7 years after childbirth (as an indicator for abdominal adiposity) was associated with depressive symptoms.…”

Prevalence of Depression and Associated Factors Among Normal and Overweight Reproductive Age Women, Ethiopia: Community-Based Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15][20][21][22] whereas among overweight reproductive age range from 5.9% to 38%. [10][11][12][13][14][15][20][21][22][23] Despite depression and overweight have many negative consequences on the mental health of reproductive-age women; no information on the degree to which normal and overweight women experienced depression, and its associated factors in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and compare the prevalence of depression and associated factors among normal and overweight reproductive-age women in Debre Berhan town, Ethiopia.…”