Researchers in America evaluated 203 women aged between 40 and 65 years with an average BMI of 38.3. The participants underwent baseline tests to measure their weight, depression score, physical activity and food intake. The researchers placed the women into two treatment groups - one focused on weight loss and the other focused on both weight loss and depression. Both interventions included up to 26 group sessions over 12 months and researchers followed up on participants at six, 12 and 24 months after enrollment.
It was found the most significant changes happened in the first six months and then remained stable afterwards. At six months, among the women who had at least a one-half point decrease on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist depression score, 38 per cent lost at least 5 per cent of their body weight. This compared with 21 per cent of the women who lost the same amount but had no decrease - or an increase - in their depression score.
Increased physical activity leads to improvement in depression and improvement in depression leads to increased physical activity. The present study shows that they go together, but is unable to say which causes which. Most weight loss programs do not pay enough attention to screening and treatment of depression and this study further underscores the importance of screening for depression in such programmes that can potentially lead to both physical and psychological well-being.
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