Body Weight & HRQL
Body Weight Study Aim
To examine the relation between body weight and the physical and mental
components of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the population
aged 60 years and over in Spain.
Body Weight Study Method
Cross-sectional study covering 3605 subjects, logistic regression was
used to examine the relation of sub optimal HRQL on each SF-36 questionnaire
scale with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.
Body Weight Study Results
Mean age of the study population was 70.9 years for men and 72.2 years
for women. The percentage of overweight subjects was 48.5% in men and
39.8% in women, and of obese subjects, 31.9 and 41.1% respectively. Men
registered a better HRQL than women on most of the SF-36 scales. Compared
to normal-weight subjects, frequency of suboptimal physical functioning
was higher among obese subjects (BMI30 kg/m2), both male and female. The
aspects of physical functioning most affected were bending, kneeling or
stooping, climbing stairs and strenuous effort. Male, though not female,
obesity was nonetheless associated with a better HRQL on the SF-36 mental
scales. Frequencies of suboptimal scores for overweight persons (BMI:
25-29.9 kg/m2) were similar to those for normal-weight subjects on most
of the SF-36 scales. Results proved similar for subjects in both the 60-74
and 75-and-over age groups, and also when waist circumference was used
as the measure of obesity (>102 cm in men and >88 cm in women).
Body Weight Study Conclusion
Obese men and women showed worse physical functioning than normal-weight
persons. This occurred irrespective of whether subjects were over or under
74 years of age, or whether obesity was measured by BMI or waist circumference,
and was not explained by unhealthy lifestyles or obesity-related chronic
disease.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(2003)
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