Abstract
Using data from the 1994-1998 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged Mother and Young Adult file, this article examines the relationship between depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) in adolescence. The authors also examine whether this relationship varies by race and gender. Their findings indicate that over a 4-year period symptoms of depression are only related to increases in BMI for African American females. Stepfamily arrangements and poor neighborhood quality were more related to higher body mass index among White females. With the exception of household income predicting higher weight for African American males, their models were not very predictive for either African American or White males. They interpret their results within a family stress framework.
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