Quality of life, disability, and body mass index are related in obese patients

Int J Rehabil Res. 2011 Sep;34(3):270-2. doi: 10.1097/MRR.0b013e328347be15.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between health-related quality of life (QoL), disability, and degree of obesity. Adult obese patients (BMI>30) were consecutively enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS II) and the short version of the impact of weight on QoL (IWQoL-Lite) were administered. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed. A P value of less than 0.01 was used to set the statistical significance. A total of 117 patients (mean age: 47.4 years, mean BMI: 43.7) were enrolled. Correlations between WHO-DAS II and IWQoL-Lite were between 0.21 and 0.78. BMI between 0.19 and 0.26 correlated with WHO-DAS II and BMI between 0.23 and 0.49 correlated with IWQoL-Lite. In conclusion, low/moderate correlations between BMI index, disability, and health-related QoL measures, and a low association between the two outcome measures are reported, supporting the idea that they underline different and not transposable dimensions.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Body Mass Index*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disability Evaluation*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity / psychology*
  • Obesity / rehabilitation*
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult