Obesity and Quality of Life: A Controlled Study of Normal-Weight and Obese Individuals

Background: Obesity is a major public health problem that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Objective: The authors investigated the associations between health-related quality of life (HRQL) and Body Mass Index (BMI), gender, age, mental and somatic disorders, as well as therapy-seeking status. Method: A cross-sectional controlled study assessed 640 male and female individuals, clustered into four weight categories. Results: Linear-regression analyses revealed that higher BMI, higher age, and higher numbers of current somatic and mental disorders negatively predicted the physical dimension of HRQL. Higher numbers of both mental and somatic disorders as well as female gender and younger age seemed to be independent negative predictors of mental HRQL, whereas BMI was not associated with mental HRQL. Therapy status was not related to mental or physical HRQL. Conclusion: Physical and mental disorders are important detrimental factors for both physical and mental dimensions of HRQL. (Psychosomatics 2009; 50: 474-482)