Notes
BACKGROUND: Obesity is known to increase the risk of many diseases and reduce overall quality of life. This study examines the relationship with self-reported health (SRH) and happiness.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the 163 066 UK Biobank participants who completed the happiness rating. The association between adiposity and SRH and happiness was examined using logistic regression. SRH was defined as good (excellent, good), or poor (fair, poor). Self-reported happiness was defined as happy (extremely, very, moderately) or unhappy (moderately, very, extremely).
RESULTS: Poor health was reported by 44 457 (27.3%) participants. The adjusted ORs for poor health were 3.86, 2.92, 2.60 and 6.41 for the highest, compared with lowest, deciles of Body Mass Index, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body fat percent, respectively. The associations were stronger in men (p<0.001). Overall, 7511 (4.6%) participants felt unhappy, and only class III obese participants were more likely to feel unhappy (adjusted OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.53, p<0.001) but the associations differed by sex (p<0.001). Among women, there was a significant association between unhappiness and all levels of obesity. By contrast, only class III obese men had significantly increased risk and overweight and class I obese men were less likely to be unhappy.
CONCLUSIONS: Obesity impacts adversely on happiness as well as health, but the association with unhappiness disappeared after adjustment for self-reported health, indicating this may be mediated by health. Compared with obese men, obese women are less likely to report poor health, but more likely to feel unhappy.
Ul-Haq Z, Mackay DF, Martin D, et al. Heaviness, health and happiness: a cross-sectional study of 163066 UK Biobank participants. J Epidemiol Community Health 2014;68:340-348. doi: 10.1136/jech-2013-203077
Application 774
Cross-sectional study to investigate ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk and mental health
One advantage of UK Biobank is the recruitment of participants from ethnic minority groups in sufficient numbers to enable meaningful comparisons of different ethnic groups. Ethnic groups are known to differ in their risk of a number of conditions including cardiovascular disease and mental health. For example Pakistani people have a high risk of heart disease and chinese people a high risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Understanding these differences and the reasons for them is of assistance in ensuring the appropriateness and effectiveness of screening, investigation and treatment interventions.
The aim of this study is to compare the different ethnic minority groups in terms of the amount and type of disease, the distribution by age, sex and socioeconomic deprivation and the lifestyle and environmental factors that are associated with the presence of disease.
In this study we will access only questionnaire and measurement data and compare ethnic sub-groups in terms of these data. At a later date, once available, we will be able to compare these sub-groups in terms of their biochemistry assays and follow-up events. Therefore, this initial study will focus on comparisons of risk and only later will we be able to make comparisons of actual disease occurrence.
Lead investigator: | Professor Jill Pell |
Lead institution: | University of Glasgow |
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