Dataset Information

Obesity, perceived weight discrimination, and psychological well-being in older adults in England.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To examine whether the adverse effect of obesity on psychological well-being can be explained by weight discrimination.

Methods

The study sample included 5056 older (≥50 y) men and women living in England and participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants reported experiences of weight discrimination in everyday life and completed measures of quality of life (CASP-19 scale), life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale), and depressive symptoms (eight-item CES-D scale). Height and weight were objectively measured, with obesity defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2 . Mediation analyses were used to test the role of perceived weight discrimination in the relationship between obesity and each psychological factor.

Results

Obesity, weight discrimination, and psychological well-being were all significantly inter-related. Mediation models revealed significant indirect effects of obesity through perceived weight discrimination on quality of life (β = -0.072, SE = 0.008), life satisfaction (β = -0.038, SE = 0.008), and depressive symptoms (β = 0.057, SE = 0.008), with perceived weight discrimination explaining approximately 40% (range: 39.5-44.1%) of the total association between obesity and psychological well-being.

Conclusions

Perceived weight discrimination explains a substantial proportion of the association between obesity and psychological well-being in English older adults. Efforts to reduce weight stigma in society could help to reduce the psychological burden of obesity.

SUBMITTER: Jackson SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4414736 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Individual differences in basal leukocyte gene expression profiles as a function of child's and parent's perception of family stress, and as a function of parent's psychological well-being. Gene expression profiling was carried out on peripheral blood mononuclear cell mRNA samples collected from 273 individuals (129 parent:child pairs + 15 parent-or-child) who were also assessed on their perceptions of family stress (both parent's and child's perception). Each dyad is labeled by a case ID, with p suffix indicating parent's gene expression profile and c suffix indicating child's gene expression profile. Variations in gene expression are analyzed as a function of both parent's perception of family stress and child's perception of family stress (using UCLA Life Stress Interview, as previously described: Hammen C (1991) Generation of stress in the course of unipolar depression. J Abnorm Psychol 100:555-561; Adrian C, Hammen C (1993) Stress Exposure and Stress Generation in Children of Depressed Mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 61:354-359; Rudolph KD, Hammen C (1999) Age and gender as determinants of stress exposure, generation, and reactions in youngsters: A transactional perspective. Child Development 70:660-677). Higher values indicate greater levels of subjectively perceived family stress. Additional data are available for 107 parents who completed all 6 subscales of the Psychological Well-Being (PWB) Scale (Ryff CD (1989) Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. J. Pers Soc. Psychol 57: 1069-1081), resulting in scores for PWB_Total (average score across all 6 subscales) as well as scores for subscales measuring Purpose in Life (PWB_Purpose), Environmental Mastery (PWB_Environmental_Mastery), Self-Acceptance (PWB_Self_Accept), Autonomy (PWB_Autonomy), Personal Growth (PWB_Growth), Positive Relations with Others (PWB_Relationship). Higher scores indicate greater psychological well being. Also available for those individuals are measures of age (years), male gender (0/1), ethnic group (1=White, 2=Chinese, 3=Indian, 4=Other Asian, 5=Other Ethnicity), Body Mass Index (kg/m^2), heavy alcohol consumption history (0/1), smoking history (0/1), and abundance of 8 mRNA transcripts indicating the relative prevalence of major leukocyte subsets (CD3E, CD3D, CD19, CD4, CD8A, FCGR3A, NCAM1, CD14). key word: Risk prediction

Project description:BackgroundAs the older population aged 65 and over worldwide, is estimated to increase from 9% in 2019 to 16% in 2050, rapid aging will transform the aspects such as economic security, employment status, and family structure. The effects of lower levels of perceived income and poor socioeconomic status on the mental health of older adults appear to be large and enduring. Therefore, the present study contributes to the literature on understanding the association of socioeconomic conditions and self-perceived income status in particular, with self-assessed mental health outcomes (psychological distress and subjective well-being) among older adults in India.MethodsData for the present study was derived from the Building Knowledge Base on Population Ageing (BKPAI) in India. Bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to understand the relationship between socioeconomic status and outcome variables.ResultsAbout 43% of older adults had no income whereas 7% had income but perceived as not sufficient to fulfil their basic needs. Nearly, 9% of older adults were retired from regular employment. Almost 70% older adults had received no pension and nearly 18% of older adults had no asset ownership. It is revealed that older adults with income that is partially sufficient to fulfil their basic needs were 2.23 times [OR: 2.23, CI: 1.75-2.84] and 1.96 times [OR: 1.96, CI: 1.55-2.47] significantly more likely to suffer from psychological distress and low subjective well-being than those who had income which was sufficient to fulfil their basic needs.ConclusionsBy focusing on four target areas such as the income support, education, family oriented initiatives and local or regional policies, the current framework for assessing the mental health among older adults in India can be modified. A move towards a guaranteed pension for eligible older individuals by which they do not have to remain as a financial burden on their children, may reduce their self-perceived economic distress and result in higher levels of wellbeing in older ages. Also, strategies to address socioeconomic disadvantages and gender differentials related to mental health status among older population are urgently needed.