Symptoms of depression in young adulthood is associated with unfavorable clinical- and behavioral cardiovascular disease risk factors

Depression in young adults is a growing concern to public health. This study aims to investigate if depression status in young adults is related to clinical and behavioral cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Cross-sectional data from a population-based sample of young Danish adults participating in the European Youth Heart Study 2009–2010 were used to examine this (n = 644, mean age 24.3 years 47% male). Measures of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), body composition, blood pressure, fasting levels of high and low density lipids (HDL, LDL), insulin, and glucose were obtained. Symptoms of depression were obtained using the Major Depression Inventory scale. Information on sleep disorders; drinking and smoking habits were obtained by questionnaires. Associations of depression with CVD risk factors were examined using logistic and linear regression adjusted for age and sex. Prevalence of mild-moderate-severe depression was 8.7% (5.6% males, 11.5% females). Significant sex differences were found in the association between several CVD risk factors and depression status. Women with depression had higher odds of overweight (OR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.01–4.0), abdominal adiposity (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.2–4.8), low CRF (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.2–5.5), insulin resistance (OR = 2.3, 95%CI: 1.1–4.6), low HDL (OR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.01–4.1) and high LDL (OR = 2.2, 95%CI: 1.04–4.5) compared to women without depression. Men with depression had significantly increased odds of having high blood pressure and being smokers compared to men without depression (OR: 3.1, 95%CI: 1.1–8.8 and OR: 3.0, 95%CI: 1.1–8.4, respectively). Depression symptoms in young adulthood were related to unfavorable clinical- and behavioral CVD risk factors, particularly in women.

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Depression, starting already in young adulthood, is a challenge to public health.

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Prevalence of mild-moderate-severe depression is high in young adults.

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Already in young adulthood depression is associated to unfavorable CVD risk factors.

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Associations are predominantly present in young women with depression.

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Young adults with depression might need special attention to prevent later CVD.

More physically active and leaner adolescents have higher energy intake

OBJECTIVE

To test whether youths who engage in vigorous physical activity are more likely to have lean bodies while ingesting relatively large amounts of energy. For this purpose, we studied the associations of both physical activity and adiposity with energy intake in adolescents.

STUDY DESIGN

The study subjects were adolescents who participated in 1 of 2 cross-sectional studies, the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study (n = 1450; mean age, 14.6 years) or the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS; n = 321; mean age, 15.6 years). Physical activity was measured by accelerometry, and energy intake was measured by 24-hour recall. In the HELENA study, body composition was assessed by 2 or more of the following methods: skinfold thickness, bioelectrical impedance analysis, plus dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or air-displacement plethysmography in a subsample. In the EYHS, body composition was assessed by skinfold thickness.

RESULTS

Fat mass was inversely associated with energy intake in both studies and using 4 different measurement methods (P ≤ .006). Overall, fat-free mass was positively associated with energy intake in both studies, yet the results were not consistent across measurement methods in the HELENA study. Vigorous physical activity in the HELENA study (P < .05) and moderate physical activity in the EYHS (P < .01) were positively associated with energy intake. Overall, results remained unchanged after adjustment for potential confounding factors, after mutual adjustment among the main exposures (physical activity and fat mass), and after the elimination of obese subjects, who might tend to underreport energy intake, from the analyses.

CONCLUSION

Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that more physically active and leaner adolescents have higher energy intake than less active adolescents with larger amounts of fat mass.

Association between body mass index and caries among children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this article was to examine the relationship between childhood caries, body mass index (BMI) and subsequent changes in BMI over 6 years, and to investigate whether these associations were modified by social class.

METHODS

Data were from the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS) merged with data on caries experience from the Danish National Board of Health, (SCOR register).

RESULTS

At baseline, 26.2% of the children/adolescents were caries free and 39% at follow-up. A larger percentage of normal weight children/adolescents were caries free, compared with the overweight/obese group of children/adolescents. The linear regression analysis showed that childhood caries was generally not associated with either BMI or subsequent changes in BMI. However, among children whose mothers were well educated, there was an inverse association between caries at baseline and subsequent changes in BMI over a period of 6 years, for example, a high caries experience was associated with a smaller increment in BMI, compared with the group of children with a low caries experience. No association was found for those with lower SES.

CONCLUSION

An inverse association between caries and subsequent changes in BMI was found, but only among children with well-educated mothers, suggesting that high caries experience may be a marker for low future risk of overweight among the more advantaged. Associations did not appear to be significant among the less advantaged; however, numbers in this group were low, and an association may have been overlooked. Hence, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.