Correlation Between Symptoms of Depression and Obesity in Caregivers of Patients With Chronic Illness: A Gender Difference Analysis

Abstract

This study involved gender-stratified analysis and total-sample analysis to assess the extent to which symptoms of depression correlate with the body mass index (BMI) of a population of 112 people responsible for caring for others diagnosed with a chronic illness. The majority of the participants (caregivers) of this study were female (57.1%). All participants were recruited from an urban medical city hospital. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was employed to assess the extent to which caregivers exhibited symptoms of depression, and BMI was calculated by the researcher using the subject’s height and weight. Regressions were executed on the entire dataset spanning male and female participants to generate insights into demographic factors, after which the PHQ-9 was administered. After taking into account the possible confounding factors, the findings of the regression showed that there was a significant correlation between the BMI and PHQ-9 scores (β = .25, P = .042). The correlation between BMI and PHQ-9 persisted among females (β = .37, P = .023). Furthermore, there is a noteworthy correlation among the participants who were morbidly obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2). The correlation between BMI and PHQ-9 caregivers of patients with chronic illness remained after taking demographic factors into account. These findings could be utilized to enhance the outcomes for caregivers of patients with chronic illness. They may be particularly pertinent for caregivers who are experiencing depression or are overweight.