Abstract
Associations between depressive symptoms, dysfunctional eating behaviors and attitudes, higher food intake and body mass index (BMI) have been previously observed. However, few studies have assessed these variables in the same study. The first objective is to compare, in a natural setting environment, the profile of women reporting lower or higher levels of depressive symptoms in terms of food intake, eating behaviors and attitudes, and BMI. The second objective is to test mediational models for which the link between depressive symptoms and food intake would be mediated by eating behaviors and attitudes or BMI. Weight-preoccupied women were recruited (n = 323), and their level of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. The median score was used to create two groups (lower ≤ 13; higher > 13). A web-based food-frequency questionnaire, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, and the Intuitive Eating Scale were completed. BMI was calculated from reported body weight and height. Compared to women with a lower level of depressive symptoms, those with a higher level of depressive symptoms reported a higher energy intake (p = 0.02), and a higher consumption of savoury foods (p = 0.02). These women also had higher scores of disinhibition (p p = 0.0002), ate less intuitively (p p = 0.005). Association between depressive symptoms and energy intake was mediated by disinhibition, susceptibility to hunger and eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, while the role of BMI was less clear. Regarding another component of food intake, association between depressive symptoms and consumption of savoury foods was mediated by disinhibition and eating for physical rather than emotional reasons. In summary, it seems essential to be aware of the presence of depressive symptoms and to pay attention to eating behaviors and attitudes in interventions among weight-preoccupied women.
Highlights
Since more than one decade, the World Health Organization reported an increased prevalence of obesity, which has a major impact on physical and psychological health as well as public health implications [1]
The present study aims at assessing the associations between depressive symptoms, food intake, eating behaviors and attitudes, and body mass index (BMI) in natural setting among women
While the models proposed only explain a small percentage of the variance and that other factors are possibly involved in the associations between depressive symptoms and food intake, results from this study suggest that specific eating behaviors and attitudes played an important role in these associations
Summary
Since more than one decade, the World Health Organization reported an increased prevalence of obesity, which has a major impact on physical and psychological health as well as public health implications [1]. Depression is an emerging clinical concern with regards to weight-related problems In comparison to both non-obese men and women, overweight and obese women are more prone to report depression concurrently to their weight problems, suggesting that an association is observed between obesity and depression, and that this association could be more typically feminine [4]-[7]. Women who report higher depressive symptoms presented a higher body mass index (BMI) [9]-[15], and a higher waist circumference [10] compared to those with lower depressive symptoms. Overall, these results indicate the presence of significant associations between depressive symptoms and BMI, and women appear to be more vulnerable than men. All overweight and obese women do not necessarily report depressive symptoms, which underline the need to identify other factors that could be associated with depression
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