Journal Article

Depressive Symptoms and Weight Status Among Women Recently Immigrating to the US

Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie, Tovar, Alison, Boulos, Rebecca, Economos, Christina D., Gute, David M., Must, Aviva, Sliwa, Sarah, Pirie, Alex

2016

Overview

Objectives Depressive symptoms have been associated with obesity. Little is known about this relationship among immigrants. We examined relationships between depressive symptoms and weight status in immigrant women from three ethnic groups. Methods Participants were Brazilian, Haitian, and Latina women (n = 345) enrolled in Live Well, a community-based, randomized intervention designed to prevent weight gain in recent immigrants. Study data are from baseline when participants completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Perceived Stress Scale, a physical activity questionnaire, and socio-demographic questions; BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. Results Forty-four percent of participants (36 % of Brazilians, 66 % of Haitians, 30 % of Latinas) had high depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16), and 38 % (26 % of Brazilians, 49 % of Haitians, 42 % of Latinas) were obese (BMI ≥ 30.0). Those reporting more depressive symptoms were more likely to be obese (Wald Chi square = 4.82, p  < .05). An interaction between depressive symptoms, ethnic group, and income was revealed (F(4,340) = 2.91, p  < .05), such that higher depressive symptoms were associated with higher BMI among Brazilians earning ≥$30,000 per year and with lower BMI among Brazilians earning <$30,000. The relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity did not differ by income among Haitians or Latinas. Conclusions Depressive symptoms and obesity were highly prevalent among these recently-immigrated women. Positive relationships between these variables were consistent across ethnic and income groups, with the exception of lower-income Brazilians. While these findings suggest similar patterns and health needs across several groups of immigrants, cultural differences should be considered when addressing these health conditions.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Acculturation / Adult / Analysis / Body height / Body mass index / Body Weight / Brazil - ethnology / Community-based programs / Cultural differences / Cultural groups / Culture / Demographics / Depression (Mood disorder) / Depression - diagnosis / Depression - ethnology / Depression - psychology / Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology / Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data / Epidemiology / Ethnic groups / Ethnicity / Female / Gynecology / Haiti - ethnology / Health aspects / Health needs / Hispanic Americans / Humans / Immigrants / Income / Latin American cultural groups / Longitudinal Studies / Low income groups / Maternal and Child Health / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental depression / Mental health / Middle Aged / Minority & ethnic groups / Obesity / Obesity - ethnology / Obesity - psychology / Pediatrics / Physical activity / Physical fitness / Population Economics / Prevalence / Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Psychological aspects / Public Health / Reorganization and restructuring / Risk Factors / Sociodemographics / Sociology / Surveys and Questionnaires / Symptoms / United States - epidemiology / Weight gain / Women / Women immigrants / Womens health / Young Adult