Examining Links between Depression and Body Composition among Older Adults: Results from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) Wave 1

Melissa A. Liebert, University of Oregon
William Olson, University of Oregon
Heather McClure, University of Oregon
Theresa E. Gildner, University of Oregon
Nirmala Naidoo, World Health Organization (WHO)

Previous research has documented complex associations between depression and body composition among older adults; however, few studies have examined these relationships among non-Western populations. This paper uses data from the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), a longitudinal study of nationally-representative samples of older adults (>50 years old) in six middle income countries (Mexico, Ghana, India, China, South Africa, and Russian Federation) to examine relationships among depression, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC). Our findings identify differences in depression prevalence by sex and country (from 1.6% in Chinese males to 22.9% in Mexican females). With all countries combined, depression was negatively related to BMI levels for males (P=0.030). Among South African females, depression was positively associated with BMI (P=0.002) and WC levels (P=0.045). This study highlights the multifaceted links between late-life depression and body composition, and illustrates how these relationships vary by sex and country.