BACKGROUND: There is evidence from cross-sectional studies that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine prospective longitudinal associations between PTSD and obesity in a community sample. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, epidemiologic study with a representative community sample of adolescents and young adults (N=3021, aged 14-24 years at baseline) was conducted in Munich, Germany. Participants were assessed four times between 1995 and 2005 with the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations between obesity (BMI > or =30) and DSM-IV PTSD were evaluated in 2007, using cross-sectional and prospective data during young adulthood. RESULTS: The cumulative lifetime incidence of obesity in the sample at 10-year follow-up during young adulthood was 4.3% (women, 4.6%; men, 4.0%). Among women but not among men, obesity was associated with a lifetime history of PTSD (OR=3.8; 95% CI=1.4, 10.7) in the cross-sectional analyses. Prospective longitudinal analyses from 4-year follow-up to 10-year follow-up confirmed that obesity was predicted by antecedent subthreshold and full PTSD (OR=3.0; 95% CI=1.3, 7.0) among women but not among men. There were no associations between other mental disorders and obesity in the prospective analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a possible causal pathway for the onset of obesity in females with PTSD symptoms. These findings need replication with regard to the pathophysiologic and behavioral mechanisms underlying this relationship.
BACKGROUND: There is evidence from cross-sectional studies that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine prospective longitudinal associations between PTSD and obesity in a community sample. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, epidemiologic study with a representative community sample of adolescents and young adults (N=3021, aged 14-24 years at baseline) was conducted in Munich, Germany. Participants were assessed four times between 1995 and 2005 with the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations between obesity (BMI > or =30) and DSM-IV PTSD were evaluated in 2007, using cross-sectional and prospective data during young adulthood. RESULTS: The cumulative lifetime incidence of obesity in the sample at 10-year follow-up during young adulthood was 4.3% (women, 4.6%; men, 4.0%). Among women but not among men, obesity was associated with a lifetime history of PTSD (OR=3.8; 95% CI=1.4, 10.7) in the cross-sectional analyses. Prospective longitudinal analyses from 4-year follow-up to 10-year follow-up confirmed that obesity was predicted by antecedent subthreshold and full PTSD (OR=3.0; 95% CI=1.3, 7.0) among women but not among men. There were no associations between other mental disorders and obesity in the prospective analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a possible causal pathway for the onset of obesity in females with PTSD symptoms. These findings need replication with regard to the pathophysiologic and behavioral mechanisms underlying this relationship.
Authors: Susan M Mason; Patricia A Frazier; S Bryn Austin; Bernard L Harlow; Benita Jackson; Nancy C Raymond; Janet W Rich-Edwards Journal: Ann Behav Med Date: 2017-12
Authors: T W McGlennon; J N Buchwald; Walter J Pories; Fang Yu; Arthur Roberts; Eric P Ahnfeldt; Rukmini Menon; Henry Buchwald Journal: Obes Surg Date: 2021-01-06 Impact factor: 4.129
Authors: K C Koenen; J A Sumner; P Gilsanz; M M Glymour; A Ratanatharathorn; E B Rimm; A L Roberts; A Winning; L D Kubzansky Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2016-10-04 Impact factor: 7.723
Authors: Teresa A Ajslev; Camilla S Andersen; Katja G Ingstrup; Ellen A Nohr; Thorkild I A Sørensen Journal: PLoS One Date: 2010-06-30 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Jaswinder Kumar; Jen-Chieh Chuang; Elisa S Na; Anna Kuperman; Andrea G Gillman; Shibani Mukherjee; Jeffrey M Zigman; Colleen A McClung; Michael Lutter Journal: Appetite Date: 2013-01-11 Impact factor: 3.868