Obesity and mental disorders: prevalence analysis in a group of employees of a large multinational company in Brazil

Obesity is a 21st-century pandemic that is associated with cognitive and mental health problems, non-communicable diseases, and premature death. Several studies have associated obesity with the occurrence of mental disorders, including depression. Considering the high prevalence of the two comorbidities and the importance of their impact on people's lives, the objective of this work was to analyze the correlation between obesity and mental disorders, including depression, in adult employees of a large multinational company based in Brazil. This study followed a prospective observational longitudinal and comparative model, following the STROBE rules. This study was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee. 3706 electronic medical records of occupational medicine consultations of employees from different regions of Brazil of a large multinational company were evaluated, between the years 2020 and 2021. For the present study, the BMI profile was crossed, according to the BMI classification. Brazilian Association of Nutrology (ABRAN) with data from the assessment of the mental state of employees considering the results of the Self Report Questionnaire (SQR20). The results obtained showed an association between the two variables and allowed us to conclude that overweight/obese employees have a higher incidence of mental disorders; employees with low and normal weight are primarily in the age group under 40; overweight/obese employees are preferably between the ages of 40 and 60; men have a higher incidence of overweight and a lower rate of mental disorders; women have a higher incidence of normal weight and a higher rate of mental disorders; Underweight employees are less likely to suffer from mental disorders.