Effect of sex and age on the association between suicidal behaviour and obesity in Korean adults: a cross-sectional nationwide study

ObjectivesTo examine the hypothesis that the relationship between obesity and the risk of suicidal behaviour would differ according to sex and age.SettingData from the 2007–2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were used.Participants36 211 adults with body mass index (BMI) data were included and the mean age was 49.6 years.Independent variableBMI.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSuicide ideation and attempts.Design and analysisA cross-sectional study was performed. Multiple logistic regressions after controlling for socioeconomic variables and concomitant diseases were applied to see the relationship between obesity level and suicidal ideation or attempt.ResultsWomen with severe obesity had the highest prevalence of suicide attempts and ideation, whereas among males, underweight men had the highest prevalence. After adjustment, obese men had a lower OR for suicide ideation (OR=0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.00). Among women, the ORs of severely obese and underweight women were 1.27 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.52) and 1.24 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.45), respectively. When grouped by age category, the ORs for suicide ideation in severely obese women aged 18 to