Association between weight-adjusted-waist index and depression: a cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Depression is a significant global health concern with complex links to obesity.
• Central obesity, assessed by the weight-adjusted-waist index (WWI), is increasingly recognized as a health risk.
• The relationship between WWI and depression remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential correlation between WWI and depression.
• To compare the predictive ability of WWI against other obesity indicators for depression.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.
• Analysis of 38,154 participants using multiple regression, subgroup analysis, and smooth curve fitting.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to compare WWI with BMI and waist circumference.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between higher WWI and increased depression scores (β = 0.41).
• This association remained significant after adjusting for confounders (P for trend < 0.0001).
• WWI demonstrated superior discrimination and accuracy in predicting depression compared to BMI and waist circumference.

Conclusions:

• Elevated WWI is associated with a higher likelihood of depression.
• WWI may serve as a valuable and simple anthropometric tool for assessing depression risk.
• The findings highlight the importance of central obesity in understanding depression.