Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(2): 281-285  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.2.281
The Association of Objective Depression and Subjective Depression with Weight Change among Korean Adults Aged over 65 Years: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2012
Hyeun Jin Song, Ji-Ho Choi*, Yeon Ji Lee, Nam Hee Youn, Jeong Min Oh, Yu Rim Lee
Department of Family Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
Ji-Ho Choi
Tel: +82-32-890-3547, Fax: +82-32-890-2195
E-mail: wisdom@inha.ac.kr
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9054-7805
Received: April 3, 2017; Revised: July 19, 2017; Accepted: July 26, 2017; Published online: April 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: South Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society and elderly Koreans have been reported to have the highest suicide rate among member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Since depression is one of the leading causes of suicide, it is necessary to understand depression among the elderly. Past studies have shown that the elderly with depression lost more weight than those without depression. Therefore, we analyzed the association between depression and weight change among the Korean elderly aged over 65 years.
Methods: We included 2,313 elderly Koreans who had participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2012. We assessed the association of objective depression and subjective depression with weight change. We adjusted for factors such as age, sex, body mass index, chronic disease (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease), cancers, alcohol, smoking, living with spouse, oral health, education, and economic status, and then analyzed the association between depression and weight change with logistic regression.
Results: Among the Korean elderly, there was a significant association between depression and weight loss. Both objective depression and subjective depression increased the risk of weight loss more among women than men.
Conclusion: We found that objective depression and subjective depression were significantly associated with weight loss and the risk increases more among Korean elderly women than Korean elderly men.
Keywords: Depression; Weight Loss; Aged
References
  1. Jang IH. Social welfare for older persons in aging society. Seoul: Seoul National University Press; 2012.
  2. Brådvik L, Mattisson C, Bogren M, Nettelbladt P. Long-term suicide risk of depression in the Lundby cohort 1947-1997--severity and gender. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2008; 117: 185-91.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  3. Isometsä ET, Henriksson MM, Aro HM, Heikkinen ME, Kuoppasalmi KI, Lönnqvist JK. Suicide in major depression. Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151: 530-6.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  4. DiPietro L, Anda RF, Williamson DF, Stunkard AJ. Depressive symptoms and weight change in a national cohort of adults. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1992; 16: 745-53.
    Pubmed
  5. Cornoni-Huntley JC, Harris TB, Everett DF, Albanes D, Micozzi MS, Miles TP, et al. An overview of body weight of older persons, including the impact on mortality. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I-Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. J Clin Epidemiol 1991; 44: 743-53.
    CrossRef
  6. Deeg DJ, Miles TP, Van Zonneveld RJ, Curb JD. Weight change, survival time and cause of death in Dutch elderly. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 1990; 10: 97-111.
    CrossRef
  7. Losonczy KG, Harris TB, Cornoni-Huntley J, Simonsick EM, Wallace RB, Cook NR, et al. Does weight loss from middle age to old age explain the inverse weight mortality relation in old age? Am J Epidemiol 1995; 141: 312-21.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  8. Wallace JI, Schwartz RS, LaCroix AZ, Uhlmann RF, Pearlman RA. Involuntary weight loss in older outpatients: incidence and clinical significance. J Am Geriatr Soc 1995; 43: 329-37.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  9. Donini LM, Poggiogalle E, Piredda M, Pinto A, Barbagallo M, Cucinotta D, et al. Anorexia and eating patterns in the elderly. PLoS One 2013; 8: e63539.
    Pubmed KoreaMed CrossRef
  10. Atalayer D, Astbury NM. Anorexia of aging and gut hormones. Aging Dis 2013; 4: 264-75.
    Pubmed KoreaMed CrossRef
  11. Ruscin JM, Page RL 2nd, Yeager BF, Wallace JI. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and involuntary weight loss in elderly, community-dwelling adults. Pharmacotherapy 2005; 25: 313-9.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  12. Wysokiński A, Sobów T, Kłoszewska I, Kostka T. Mechanisms of the anorexia of aging-a review. Age (Dordr) 2015; 37: 9821.
    Pubmed KoreaMed CrossRef
  13. Oh DH, Kim SA, Lee HY, Seo JY, Choi BY, Nam JH. Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in Korean adults: results of a 2009 Korean community health survey. J Korean Med Sci 2013; 28: 128-35.
    Pubmed KoreaMed CrossRef
  14. Aneshensel CS. Social stress: theory and research. Annu Rev Sociol 1992;18: 15-38.
    CrossRef
  15. Mirowsky J, Ross CE. Social patterns of distress. Annu Rev Sociol 1986; 12:23-45.
    CrossRef
  16. Nolen-Hoeksema S. Sex differences in unipolar depression: evidence and theory. Psychol Bull 1987; 101: 259-82.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  17. Elliott M. Gender differences in causes of depression. Women Health 2001;33: 163-77.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  18. Young E, Korszun A. Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression. Mol Psychiatry 2010; 15: 23-8.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  19. McMinn J, Steel C, Bowman A. Investigation and management of unintentional weight loss in older adults. BMJ 2011; 342: d1732.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  20. Lankisch P, Gerzmann M, Gerzmann JF, Lehnick D. Unintentional weight loss: diagnosis and prognosis. The first prospective follow-up study from a secondary referral centre. J Intern Med 2001; 249: 41-6.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  21. Metalidis C, Knockaert DC, Bobbaers H, Vanderschueren S. Involuntary weight loss. Does a negative baseline evaluation provide adequate reassurance? Eur J Intern Med 2008; 19: 345-9.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  22. Marton KI, Sox HC Jr, Krupp JR. Involuntary weight loss: diagnostic and prognostic significance. Ann Intern Med 1981; 95: 568-74.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  23. Rabinovitz M, Pitlik SD, Leifer M, Garty M, Rosenfeld JB. Unintentional weight loss. A retrospective analysis of 154 cases. Arch Intern Med 1986;146: 186-7.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  24. Wallace JI, Schwartz RS. Involuntary weight loss in elderly outpatients: recognition, etiologies, and treatment. Clin Geriatr Med 1997; 13: 717-35.
    Pubmed
  25. Hernández-Díaz S. Prescription of medications during pregnancy: accidents, compromises, and uncertainties. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2006;15: 613-7.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  26. Yoon HS, Heo SY. The mediating and moderating effects of social relationship on health status and life satisfaction of the elderly. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society 2007; 27: 649-66.
  27. Seo HL, Kim HN. Factors affecting psychological well-being of frail elderly women living alone. Korea Academy of Mental Health Social Work 2010;35: 176-202.
  28. Payette H, Coulombe C, Boutier V, Gray-Donald K. Weight loss and mortality among free-living frail elders: a prospective study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 1999; 54: M440-5.
    Pubmed CrossRef
  29. Tully CL, Snowdon DA. Weight change and physical function in older women: findings from the Nun Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 1995; 43: 1394-7.
    CrossRef
  30. MacIntosh C, Morley JE, Chapman IM. The anorexia of aging. Nutrition 2000; 16: 983-95.
    CrossRef

This Article


Author ORCID Information

Services
Social Network Service

e-submission

Archives