"I don't eat a hamburger and large chips every day!" A qualitative study of the impact of public health messages about obesity on obese adults

BackgroundWe are a society that is fixated on the health consequences of \u27being fat\u27. Public health agencies play an important role in \u27alerting\u27 people about the risks that obesity poses both to individuals and to the broader society. Quantitative studies suggest people comprehend the physical health risks involved but underestimate their own risk because they do not recognise that they are obese.MethodsThis qualitative study seeks to expand on existing research by exploring obese individuals\u27 perceptions of public health messages about risk, how they apply these messages to themselves and how their personal and social contexts and experiences may influence these perceptions. The study uses in depth interviews with a community sample of 142 obese individuals. A constant comparative method was employed to analyse the data.ResultsPersonal and contextual factors influenced the ways in which individuals interpreted and applied public health messages, including their own health and wellbeing and perceptions of stigma. Individuals felt that messages were overly focused on the physical rather than emotional health consequences of obesity. Many described feeling stigmatised and blamed by the simplicity of messages and the lack of realistic solutions. Participants described the need for messages that convey the risks associated with obesity while minimising possible stigmatisation of obese individuals. This included ensuring that messages recognise the complexity of obesity and focus on encouraging healthy behaviours for individuals of all sizes.ConclusionThis study is the first step in exploring the ways in which we understand how public health messages about obesity resonate with obese individuals in Australia. However, much more research - both qualitative and quantitative - is needed to enhance understanding of the impact of obesity messages on individuals

Depression Symptom Severity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Healthy and Depressed Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Depression symptom severity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are significant predictors of mortality and disability. However, the relationship between the two is unclear. Objective: This meta-analysis assessed the relationship between depression symptom severity and CRF in healthy and depressed adults (aged 18 years and over). Search Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and ProQuest databases were browsed for relevant English-language studies published from January 2000 to August 2014. Selection Criteria: Studies reporting a correlation between a depression scale and maximum oxygen consumption (VO2peak), as well as studies from the data of which such a correlation could be calculated, were included in this analysis. Data Analysis: Correlation coefficients (CCs) were converted to Fisher’s z values, and the analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Then, summary effects and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were converted back to CCs. Results: Sixteen studies (totalling 4039 participants) were included in this analysis. A modest correlation between depression symptom severity and CRF was found (CC −0.16, 95 % CI −0.21 to −0.10), appearing stronger in male participants (CC − 0.22, 95 % CI −0.26 to −0.18) than in female participants (CC −0.12, 95 % CI −0.19 to −0.05; p = 0.01). There was no difference in the summary effect between healthy and depressed adults (p = 0.43). Heterogeneity was moderate (I2 = 33 %; p = 0.09). Conclusions: Depression symptom severity is inversely correlated with CRF, and this correlation is stronger in men than in women. Clinical and prognostic implications of the correlation are discussed. These findings should stimulate further research on the effects of treating one variable on the other