Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37974151›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2023

The psychological legacy of past obesity and early mortality: evidence from two longitudinal studies.

I Gusti Ngurah Edi Putra, Michael Daly, Angelina Sutin, Andrew Steptoe, Eric Robinson

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

I Gusti Ngurah Edi PutraDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, UK. i.gusti.ngurah.edi.putra@liverpool.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-1014-6949
Michael DalyDepartment of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland.
Angelina SutinDepartment of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, USA.
Andrew SteptoeDepartment of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
Eric RobinsonDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, UK.
University of Liverpool · GBFlorida State University · USNational University of Ireland, Maynooth · IEUniversity College London · GB

Funding

Economic and Social Research Council ES/V017594/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe test a novel 'weight scarring' hypothesis which suggests that past obesity is associated with impairments in current psychological well-being and this increases risk of negative physical health outcomes associated with obesity. Across two nationally representative studies, we tested whether past obesity is associated with current psychological outcomes and whether these psychological outcomes explain the association between past obesity and subsequent early mortality.

methodsData were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n = 29,047) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (n = 11,998). Past obesity was defined based on maximum lifetime weight in NHANES and the highest weight from past study waves in the HRS. Across both studies, current depressive symptoms were analysed. A set of 10 additional well-being measures were combined to produce an 'index of impaired well-being' in HRS. Subsequent all-cause mortality was examined using National Deaths Index records in NHANES and household interviews in HRS. Linear or logistic regression, Cox proportional hazard regression, and causal mediation models were used.

resultsWe found that past obesity was associated with greater current depressive symptoms after controlling for current weight status and in analyses limited to those who were no longer classified as having obesity in NHANES (β = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.22) and HRS (β = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.31). In HRS, past obesity was also associated with a range of current negative psychological outcomes, including an index of impaired psychological well-being (β = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.27). Past obesity was associated with a higher risk of early mortality in both NHANES and HRS (HR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.48 and HR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.50, respectively). Depressive symptoms explained 6% (95% CI: 0.01, 0.10) and 5% (95% CI: 0.01, 0.09) of the association between past obesity and premature mortality in NHANES and HRS, respectively. Impaired psychological well-being partly mediated the association between past obesity and premature mortality by 10% (95% CI: 0.04, 0.16) in HRS.

conclusionsOur findings suggest that there may be a psychological legacy of past obesity that is associated with raised mortality risk. Ensuring people with obesity receive psychological support even after experiencing weight loss may be important.

Indexed as

ObesityOverweightHumansLongitudinal StudiesNutrition SurveysRisk FactorsWeight LossDepressive symptomsMortalityObesityPsychological distressPsychological well-beingWeight scarring

Identifiers

PMID37974151
PMCPMC10655273
OpenAlexW4388725593

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.