clipped from www.reuters.com

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression and anxiety are associated with obesity and poor health behaviors like smoking, drinking, and inactivity, new research indicates.

Of those surveyed, 8.7 percent reported current depression, 15.7 percent had a history of depression, and 11.3 percent had a history of anxiety at some time, the researchers report in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

Those with depression and anxiety were also more likely to follow an inactive lifestyle, and to be binge or heavy drinkers.

"There is a dose-response relationship between depression severity and the prevalence of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity;

and also between history of depression (never depressed, previously depressed, currently depressed) and the prevalence of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, binge drinking, and heavy drinking."