Affiliations: [a] Ufuk University Dr. Rídvan Ege Hospital, Ankara
| [b] Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Reci Meseri, PhD., Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Tel.: +905324058863; E-mail: E-mail: recimeseri@yahoo.com.; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2482-3066
Note: [1] Postal address: Ege Universitesi, Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Beslenme ve Diyetetik Bölümü, Cemile Suat Balcıoğlu Yerleşkesi, İmbatlı Mah. No: 346, Karşıyaka, İzmir Türkiye.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Healthcare workers are susceptible to obesity, anxiety and depression. OBJECTIVE:To determine the prevalence and association of obesity, anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals working in a hospital. METHODS:In this cross-sectional study all of the employees of a hospital were invited to participate (n = 150). Anxiety (via Beck Anxiety Scale) and depression symptoms (via Beck Depression Scale) and obesity were dependent and independent variables. Obesity was determined both with body mass index (BMI) and abdominal obesity (Waist circumference-WC). Data were collected with face-to-face interviews and anthropometric measurements were done. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 with student t-test, chi-square and correlation tests. Significance was set at a p-value < 0.05. RESULTS:Among the participants who agreed to participate (n = 131, 64.1% females), 35.1% were obese and 50.4% were abdominally obese. The 35.9% had moderate-severe anxiety symptoms, 19.1% had moderate-severe depression symptoms. Both BMI and WC had positive, moderate and significant correlation with anxiety and depression scores. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables obesity (both with BMI and WC) was an independent factor for anxiety and depression symptom presence, whereas after adjusted for these variables anxiety and depression symptom presence was an independent factor for obesity and abdominal obesity (p = 0.001 for all). CONCLUSIONS:There is a correlation between anxiety, depression and obesity. In addition to nutrition interventions in combating obesity, services that will improve mental health should be provided together as teamwork.
