engleski

Quality of life and negative emotionality in overweight and obese non-clinical sample

Introduction: The present study investigates the correlates of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the adult overweight and obese population and the association between body mass index, depression, anxiety, and potential mediating effects of physical health functioning. Methods: The research was conducted on a sample of overweight and obese adults who visited their primary care physician. A total of 143 women and 130 men were enrolled in the study, 43% of the subjects were overweight, and 57% of the subjects were obese. The subjects ranged in age between 21 and 60 years. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), physical health functioning was evaluated using the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF- 36), and BMI was calculated as weight divided by height squared. Results: The regression analysis results indicated that the components of physical HRQoL (physical functioning and role limitation due to physical problems) mediate the relationship between body mass index and depression only in women. The higher level of body mass decreased the quality of life, and different aspect of impaired physical health became a potential risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms. Men do not relate their weight to poorer quality of life (e.g., general health or life roles). Conclusion: The results from the present study show that a different pattern of functioning exists between men and women. It is important to identify the factors that can effectively motivate and stimulate obese people to change their lifestyle and to consider the differences in psychological functioning between women and men.

Quality of life, negative emotionality, overweight, obese

nije evidentirano