HHS HealthBeat (February 18, 2008)

Middle aged, obese and depressed

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

For middle-aged women, being depressed and weighing too much can go hand in hand. Researcher Gregory Simon of Group Health Cooperative in Seattle found that in survey data on more than 4,600 health plan enrollees.

Simon reported that as the weight went up, so did the frequency of depression – and that as the severity of depression went up, so did weight.

"Women who struggle with both of those problems will say, 'Of course I'm depressed, because I'm overweight,' or 'Of course I have a hard time losing weight, because I'm depressed and it’s hard to get myself going.'" (11 seconds)

Simon says these women know how to lose weight but lack hope – so one option could be to work on both together, rebuilding women’s spirits and controlling their weight.

The study in General Hospital Psychiatry was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 19 2008