摘要：Objectives. We investigated whether, over time, baseline obesity is associated with change in depressive symptoms or if baseline symptoms of depression are associated with change in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Methods. We used latent growth curve modeling to examine data from years 5, 10, 15, and 20 of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study (n = 4643). We assessed depressive symptomatology with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Results. Respondents who started out with higher levels of depressive symptoms experienced a faster rate of increase in BMI (for Whites only) and waist circumference (for Blacks and Whites) over time than did those who reported fewer symptoms of depression in year 5. Initial BMI and waist circumference did not influence the rate of change in symptoms of depression over time. Conclusions. Depressive symptomatology likely plays a role in the development of physical health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, through its association with increases in relative weight and abdominal obesity over time. Nearly two thirds of US adults are overweight or obese, 1 and an estimated 17% of Americans will experience a clinically significant episode of major depression at some point in their lives. 2 Evidence suggests some overlap in these populations. Cross-sectional studies show significant correlations between obesity and depression in adolescents and adults, 3 , 4 yet the issue of causal ordering (i.e., whether obesity fosters depression, depression fosters obesity, or both) remains unclear. Although obesity and depression are each recognized as serious public health problems, surprisingly little is known about the relationship between them. 3 We extended previous research by examining symptoms of depression and obesity as dynamic, interrelated trajectories and by determining whether the observed associations differ by gender, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status (SES). We considered bidirectionality in the association between symptoms of depression and obesity. We used latent growth curve modeling to determine whether trajectories of change in depressive symptomatology are associated with trajectories of change in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference and whether sociodemographic characteristics influence the association between these trajectories.
