Data were from a randomized controlled trial of obese women with depression who received either behavioral activation for depression followed by a lifestyle intervention or a lifestyle intervention with attention control.
At screening (n = 355), internal consistency was strong for the BDI-II (伪 = 0.89), but moderate for the HRSD (伪 = 0.67). Among the participants who met the criteria for depression remission following treatment (n = 115), every BDI-II item showed significant change at 6-months. In contrast, three HRSD items did not significantly change: the anxiety鈥攕omatic (p = 0.063), somatic symptoms鈥攇astrointestinal (p = 1.000) and loss of weight (p = 0.319) items.
The BDI-II may be more reliable and sensitive to change than the HRSD in obese women with comorbid depression. Intervention studies involving obese, depressed women should consider these findings in selecting depression outcome measures.