History of Depression, Elevated Body Mass Index, and Waist-to-Height Ratio in Preadolescent Children. Issue 9 (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lewis-de los Angeles, William W.; Liu, Richard T.
• Is Part Of: Psychosomatic medicine. Volume 83:Issue 9(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: depression -- obesity -- body mass index -- waist-to-height ratio -- preadolescents -- ABCD = Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development -- BMI = body mass index -- CI = confidence interval -- IRB = Institutional Review Board -- OR = odds ratio -- SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; Medicine, Psychosomatic -- Periodicals; 616.0805
• DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000982
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-3174

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objective: This study aimed to evaluate whether a history of depression or self-injurious thoughts and behaviors predict elevated body mass index (BMI) and elevated waist-to-height ratio in preadolescents. Methods: Baseline data were evaluated from a large, nationally representative cohort study of 9- and 10-year-old children (unweighted n = 11, 875), the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. Results: In the weighted sample, 10.6% of children had a history of depression, 7.0% had engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury, 13.1% had experienced suicidal ideation in their lifetime, and 1.1% had a history of attempted suicide. Among the children, 34.1% had an elevated BMI in the overweight or obese range and 31.9% had a waist-to-height ratio >0.5. In multivariate analyses, history of depression was associated with elevated BMI and waist-to-height ratio. Furthermore, interactions with sex were found; girls with a history of depression were more likely to have an elevated BMI (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval = 1.24–1.74) and elevated waist-to-height ratio (odds ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval = 1.18–1.86) than girls without a history of depression, but no differences were observed between boys with and without a history of depression. Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors were not associated with elevated BMI or elevated waist-to-height. Conclusions: In this study, 9- and 10-year-old girls with a history of depression were more likely to have an elevated BMI and elevated waist-to-height ratio than girls with no history of depression. These results provide important clinical context in caring for preadolescents with a history of depression.