Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(3): 348-353  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.3.348
The Relationship between Body Mass Index, Depression and Body Image of Adult Population in Korea
Sou Yeung Han, Kyung Won Shim*, Hong Soo Lee, Sang Wha Lee, A Ri Byun, Young Eun Lee
Department of Familial Medicine, Ewha Womens University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womens University Schoool of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Kyung Won Shim
Tel: +82-2-2650-5165, Fax: +82-2-2654-2439
E-mail: ewhashim@ewha.ac.kr
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8289-9301
Received: May 11, 2017; Revised: August 11, 2017; Accepted: August 15, 2017; Published online: June 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: In recent years, the prevalence of obesity and depression have increased globally. Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between obesity and depression, but the correlation is not clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among obesity, depression, and body image in the Korean adult population.
Methods: The subjects were 6,398 adults, age between 20 to 65, based on data from the first and second (2013, 2014) Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A self-administered questionnaire was used to determine whether or not a doctor diagnosed depression, and to investigate the subject’s body image. The association among body mass index (BMI), body image, and depression was measured using a Chi-square test with the Rao-Scott correction. Sex stratification analysis was also performed.
Results: There was no significant association between depression and BMI. In sex stratification analysis, obese women tended to be more depressed than normal weight women, but there was no significant association between depression and BMI in men. There was, however, a significant association between depression and body image. Depressive subjects were more likely to perceive their body image as obese or very obese than subjects who were not depressive. This association between depression and body image was found in both total and sex stratification analyses.
Conclusion: The results of this study support the notion that depression is more significantly correlated with body image than BMI; therefore, it is important to assess patients with depression not only by BMI but also by their body image.
Keywords: Obesity; Depression; Body Mass Index; Body Image
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