Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the relationships between anthropometric variables and the mental health of older people with type 2 diabetes compared to those without diabetes.
Design: A case-control study.
Setting(s): The study was conducted in Yazd, the capital city of the Yazd province in Iran.
Participants: This study comprised 501 diabetic and 555 non-diabetic individuals recruited from the Yazd Health Study (YaHS).
Outcome measures: The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) questionnaire was used to assess mental health. The scale measured anthropometric indicators, including blood pressure, waist circumference, hip circumference, neck circumference, body fat, body muscle percentage, visceral fat, and body mass index (BMI).
Results: The non-diabetic group exhibited better mental health (P≤0.01) compared to the diabetic group. Linear regression analysis indicated that, among demographic variables, gender in diabetic elderly was associated with mental health (P≤0.01), while gender, level of education, and marital status (P≤0.01) in non-diabetics were associated with mental health. Furthermore, among anthropometric factors, BMI and visceral fat (P≤0.01) in diabetics and visceral fat (P≤0.01) in non-diabetics were associated with mental health. The model obtained from liner regression based on demographic and anthropometric variables explained 6 to 13.3% and 8.8 to 15.4% of variance in mental health among diabetic (R2=0.086, P≤0.01) and non-diabetic (R2=0.162, P≤0.01) individuals, respectively.
Conclusions: Gender, higher BMI, and visceral fat were associated with poor mental health among diabetic patients. The results of the present study can be used for designing appropriate interventions through different programs such as physical fitness programs.