PSYCHIATRIC ILL-HEALTH OF WOMEN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO OBESITY AND BODY-FAT DISTRIBUTION

Objective: Abdominal obesity is associated with serious, prevalent dis eases. Previously, psychiatric symptoms and ill-health has been found in this condition in men. The results of a similar study in women is r eported herein. Research Methods and Procedures: A cohort of 1464 wome n, aged 40 years and recruited by systematic sampling, was examined (7 7.7% participation rate). Items regarding use of anxiolytics, hypnotic s, and antidepressive drugs were registered, as well as symptoms of dy spepsia, sleeping disturbances, melancholy, and degree of life satisfa ction. Smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as self-measured weigh t, height, waist, and hip circumferences, were reported, from which bo dy mass index [BMI; weight (kg)/height(2) (m(2)), kg/m(2)] and the wai st/hip circumference ratio (WHR) were calculated. Results: In bivariat e analyses, BMI was associated with use of anxiolytics, antidepressive drugs, various sleeping disturbances, and a low degree of life satisf action. After controlling for the WHR, alcohol, and tobacco use in mul tivariate analysis, the associations between BMT and use of anxiolytic s and sleeping disturbances remained significant. The WHR correlated w ith dyspepsia, sleeping problems, and use of antidepressive drugs. Aft er adjustments for BMI, smoking, and alcohol, the relationship to dysp epsia and antidepressants remained significant. Discussion: The result s suggest that elevated BMI (obesity) and elevated WHR (central fat di stribution) are associated in different ways with symptoms of psychiat ric ill-health in women. Obesity alone shows no such relationships to psychiatric ill-health in men, whereas central fat distribution shows independent associations to all of the measured variables studied in t his report in women, suggesting gender differences in these associatio ns.