Common mental disorder and obesity: insight from four repeat measures over 19 years: prospective Whitehall II cohort study.

International audienceOBJECTIVES: To examine potential reciprocal associations between common mental disorders and obesity, and to assess whether dose-response relations exist. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with four measures of common mental disorders and obesity over 19 years (Whitehall II study). SETTING: Civil service departments in London. PARTICIPANTS: 4363 adults (28% female, mean age 44 years at baseline). MAIN OUTCOME: Common mental disorder defined as general health questionnaire "caseness;" overweight and obesity based on Word Health Organization definitions. RESULTS: In models adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index at baseline, odds ratios for obesity at the fourth screening were 1.33 (95% confidence interval 1.00 to 1.77), 1.64 (1.13 to 2.36), and 2.01 (1.21 to 3.34) for participants with common mental disorder at one, two, or three preceding screenings compared with people free from common mental disorder (P for trend<0.001). The corresponding mean differences in body mass index at the most recent screening were 0.20, 0.31, and 0.50 (P for trend