Influence of overweight on the health-related quality of life in adolescents

Introduction: Changes in lifestyle and diet have led to a progressive increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This disorder can lead to significant physical and psychosocial effects that affect the health related quality of life (HRQOL). Adolescence is a time of great vulnerability and very decisive in personality development. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of weight status on HRQoL in adolescents.

Population and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted on adolescents of 12-16 years old and an assessment of HRQOL using the CHIP-Adolescents Edition questionnaires.

Results: Out of a total of 89 adolescents included, 60.7% had a normal weight and 39.3% were overweight-obese. The normal weight participants had a higher mean age than overweight-obesity participants, 14.2 vs. 13.6 years old, respectively. There were no other differences in sociodemographic characteristics between groups. Overweight-obese adolescents had a worse HRQoL, specifically as regards less resilience, lower capacity for physical activity, less family involvement, and greater peer influence.

Moreover, the girls showed a lower self-esteem, satisfaction, resilience and physical activity than boys. Furthermore, less home safety and health, higher individual risk and greater peer influence was reported with increasing age of participants.

Conclusion: Overweight-obesity negatively affects the HRQoL of adolescents. It is important to evaluate the psychosocial aspects from the perspective of the adolescents, in order to offer them a complete, personalized and multidisciplinary care.

CITATION  An Pediatr (Barc). 2015 Mar;82(3):131-8. doi: 10.1016/j.anpedi.2014.06.019. Epub 2014 Jul 30.