Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Book Review
Brief Report
Case Letter
Case Report
Case Series
Commentary
Current Issue
Editorial
Erratum
Guest Editorial
Images
Images in Neurology
Images in Neuroscience
Images in Neurosciences
Letter to Editor
Letter to the Editor
Letters to Editor
Letters to the Editor
Media and News
None
Notice of Retraction
Obituary
Original Article
Point of View
Position Paper
Review Article
Short Communication
Systematic Review
Systematic Review Article
Technical Note
Techniques in Neurosurgery
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Book Review
Brief Report
Case Letter
Case Report
Case Series
Commentary
Current Issue
Editorial
Erratum
Guest Editorial
Images
Images in Neurology
Images in Neuroscience
Images in Neurosciences
Letter to Editor
Letter to the Editor
Letters to Editor
Letters to the Editor
Media and News
None
Notice of Retraction
Obituary
Original Article
Point of View
Position Paper
Review Article
Short Communication
Systematic Review
Systematic Review Article
Technical Note
Techniques in Neurosurgery
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Book Review
Brief Report
Case Letter
Case Report
Case Series
Commentary
Current Issue
Editorial
Erratum
Guest Editorial
Images
Images in Neurology
Images in Neuroscience
Images in Neurosciences
Letter to Editor
Letter to the Editor
Letters to Editor
Letters to the Editor
Media and News
None
Notice of Retraction
Obituary
Original Article
Point of View
Position Paper
Review Article
Short Communication
Systematic Review
Systematic Review Article
Technical Note
Techniques in Neurosurgery
View/Download PDF

Translate this page into:

Original Article
4 (
Supp 1
); S13-S18
doi:
10.4103/0976-3147.116429

Association between anxiety and obesity: A study of a young.adult Nigerian population

Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, PMB 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria

Dr. Chukwunonso ECC Ejike Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, PMB 7267 Umuahia, Abia State Nigeria nonsoejikeecc@yahoo.com

Licence
This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Disclaimer:
This article was originally published by Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd. and was migrated to Scientific Scholar after the change of Publisher.

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: The relationship between anxiety and obesity is still debatable and seems to vary between cultures. The subject has been scarcely investigated in Nigeria, hence this study. Materials and Methods: A total of 1584 young‑adult Nigerians (56.4% males) of mean age 21.8 ± 2.2 years were studied. Anxiety was assessed using the Beck’s Anxiety Index (BAI), while obesity was determined using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and body mass index (BMI) methods. Standard protocols were followed for all assessments and measurements. Appropriate descriptive statistics were carried out, while regression and correlation analyses (for continuous variables) and the Chi square tests (for categorical variables) were used to assess the relationship between anxiety and obesity. Results: The degree of adiposity of the subjects (males and females alike) classified by %BF standards did not significantly (P > 0.05) affect the proportion of the population with any degree of anxiety. The proportion of population with high anxiety (for both sexes) was similar (P > 0.05) irrespective of their BMI status. All the obese (BMI‑wise only) males had low anxiety, while the proportion of thin females (in the low anxiety group) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of their normal weight counterparts. There was neither a significant correlation nor a significant association (P > 0.05) between the BAI scores and the studied measures of adiposity in both male and female subjects. Conclusion: The low prevalence of both anxiety and obesity in the studied population may explain the observed lack of association between the studied variables. These findings do not support the “jolly fat” hypothesis.

Keywords

Adiposity
anxiety
association
obesity
young-adult Nigerians

Conflict of Interest

None declared

References

  1. , , . Anxiety disorders and obesity. Psychiatrike. 2011;22:307-13.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. , , . Obesity, a health burden of global nature. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2012;33:145-7.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. , , , . Association of anxiety and depressive symptoms and adiposity among adolescent females using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2010;49:671-7.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. , , . Jolly fat: Relation between obesity and psychoneurosis in general population. BMJ. 1976;1:7-9.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. , , , , , , et al . Common mental disorder and obesity: Insight from four repeat measures over 19 years: Prospective Whitehall II cohort study. BMJ. 2009;339:b3765.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. , , , . Gender differences in associations between body mass index and DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Ann Epidemiol. 2008;18:458-66.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. , , , , , . Are obese adolescents and young adults at higher risk for mental disorders? A community survey. Obes Res. 2002;10:1152-60.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. , , , , , , et al . A prospective study of psychological predictors of body fat gain among children at high risk for adult obesity. Pediatrics. 2006;117:1203-9.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. , , , , , , et al . Relationships of mental disorders and weight status in the Korean adult population. J Korean Med Sci. 2011;26:108-15.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. , , , . Assessment of mental disorders using the patient health questionnaire as a general screening tool in western Nigeria: A community-based study. J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2012;3:6-11.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. , , , . Prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban adult Nigerians. Obes Rev. 2011;12:233-41.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. , , , , , , . Prevalence and determinants of obesity: A cross-sectional study of an adult Northern Nigerian population. Int Arch Med. 2011;4:10.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. , . Lipid accumulation product and waist-to-height ratio are predictors of the metabolic syndrome in a Nigerian male geriatric population. J Rural Trop Public Health. 2011;10:101-5.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. , , , . Obesity, metabolic syndrome and BMI-metabolic-risk sub-phenotypes: A study of an adult Nigerian population. J Med Med Sci. 2010;1:254-60.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. , , , , . An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: Psychometric properties. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988;56:893-7.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. , . Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Geneva: WHO; . Report of a WHO consultation Technical Report Series No 894
    [Google Scholar]
  17. , , , , , . Percentage body fat ranges associated with metabolic syndrome risk: Results based on the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78:228-35.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. , , , . Changes in perceived weight discrimination among Americans, 1995-1996 through 2004-2006. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16:1129-34.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. , , . For individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, institution of CPAP therapy is associated with an amelioration of symptoms of depression which is sustained long term. J Clin Sleep Med. 2007;3:631-5.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. , , , , . A nonlinear relationship of generalized and central obesity with diurnal cortisol secretion in the Whitehall II study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95:4415-23.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. , , , . Associations of depression with C-reactive protein, IL-1, and IL-6: A meta-analysis. Psychosom Med. 2009;71:171-86.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. , , , , , , , . Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev issue 07. Art. No.: CD004366
    [Google Scholar]
  23. , , , , , . Exercise treatment for depression: Efficacy and dose response. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28:1-8.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. , , , , . Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression. Med J Aust. 2002;176:S84-96.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. , , . Obesity in young-adult Nigerians: Variations in prevalence determined by anthropometry and by bioelectrical impedance analysis, and the development of %body fat prediction equations. Int Arch Med. 2012;5:22.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. , , , , , , et al . Association between common mental disorder and obesity over the adult life course. Br J Psychiatry. 2009;195:149-55.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. , . The ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: WHO; .
    [Google Scholar]
  28. , , , , , . Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a mental health battery in an African setting. Afr Health Sci. 2006;6:215-22.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. , , , , , , . Is the Beck Anxiety Inventory a good tool to assess the severity of anxiety? A primary care study in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) BMC Fam Pract. 2011;12:66.
    [Google Scholar]

Fulltext Views
645

PDF downloads
265
View/Download PDF
Download Citations
BibTeX
RIS
Show Sections