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Research Methods: Obesity and Mental health
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- London Metropolitan University (LMU)
Research proposal for a dissertation on the link between mental health and obesity - grade: 65/100 (merit)
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SH7008 - Research Methods for Health & Social CareConsidering the influence of depression on obesity as a way of promoting
long-term maintenance of weight loss in the UK
Introduction
Obesity is a disease in which excess body fat has detrimental effects on one’s health and is
defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30kg/m2. Obesity reduces lifespan and is a risk
factor for diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes (Wharton et al,
2020). Obesity is caused by an imbalance between calories consumed and energy
expenditure. Urbanisation, an increase in calories and the increase of sedentary work all
contribute to an increased BMI (World Health Organisation, 2021). Whilst the prevalence of
obesity is increasing across the world, trends of obesity have risen dramatically in England
compared to the rest of Europe. In European countries, obesity increased from 10% to 40%
over ten years. In England, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in the last ten
years (Agha et al, 2017).
According to the Nation Health Service (NHS), obesity is more prevalent in men. In 2020,
67% of adults who were obese, or overweight were males and 60% of women were obese
or overweight.
Implications on the physical health of individuals are not the only cause for concern
regarding obesity. Obesity can also affect the emotional and psychological health of
individuals. Depression is 3-4 times more likely to occur in obese individuals and the risk of
suicide in obese women is increased by 37% (Agha et al, 2017).
In 1998, the treatment of obesity and associated consequences cost the NHS over
£450million (Agha et al, 2017). By 2015, the cost of obesity on the NHS increased to £6.1
billion and expenditure is anticipated to rise to over £9 billion by 2050.
, This research proposal will provide a background into obesity and its association with
depression and anxiety and address the rationale for the study. It will include the aim and
objectives of the study followed by the research methodology which will detail the literature
search strategy, the data analysis method, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final part
of the proposal will look at the consideration of ethics in public health, ethics concerning the
literature and ethics concerning the literature reviewer.
Background
Obesity and depression are amongst the most common illnesses worldwide and the
prevalence of both illnesses continues to increase (Moussa et al, 2019). Obesity often
presents with several comorbidities including a lack of mental health (Moussa et al, 2019).
In the UK, depression is a major cause of death amongst the population and rates of
depression in those aged 16 and over is on an upward trend (Moussa et al, 2019).
Depression is prevalent worldwide and affects individuals from all socioeconomic
backgrounds, whereas anxiety disorder is only prevalent in developed countries (Gariepy et
al, 2010). Although obesity is thought to be a risk factor for anxiety, there is little evidence
supporting the association. Despite there only being moderate evidence found to support
the hypothesis, there has been a positive (although weak) association between the two
(Gariepy et al, 2010). Socioeconomic factors influence the risk of individuals developing
obesity and depression. Previous studies show increasing socioeconomic inequalities in
most European countries (Keaver,2020). Individuals in routine and manual jobs are expected
to have the highest prevalence of obesity by 2035 (Keaver, 2020).
Although the association between depression and obesity is complex, the co-occurrence
between the two disorders has been well established (Patsalos et al, 2021). However,
authors differ on which of the two diseases is causal, with some considering depression as
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