Health-related quality of life in patients seeking gastric bypass surgery vs non-treatment-seeking controls.
BACKGROUND
Previous research has found that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) differs among obese individuals depending on treatment-seeking status, with greater impairments found in obese individuals seeking treatments of greatest intensity. The goals of this study were to determine: 1) if there are differences in obesity-specific HRQOL between seekers of gastric bypass surgery and non-treatment-seeking controls; and, 2) if the presence and number of co-morbid conditions impacts on HRQOL.


METHODS
Participants were 339 surgical cases (mean age 42.9, mean BMI 47.7, 85.5% women) and 87 controls (mean age 48.8, mean BMI 43.5, 71.3% women). Obesity-specific HRQOL was assessed using the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite). Subjects were given a detailed medical history to determine the presence of co-morbid conditions.


RESULTS
After controlling for BMI, age, and gender, obesity-specific HRQOL was significantly more impaired (P<.001) in the surgery-seeking group than in the control group on all 5 scales and total score of the IWQOL-Lite. For total score, physical function and sexual life, there was increasing impairment with increasing number of co-morbid conditions. Treatment-seeking status, BMI, gender, and the presence of depression accounted for most of the variance in IWQOL-Lite total score.


CONCLUSIONS
Persons seeking gastric bypass expe rience poorer HRQOL than non-treatment-seeking individuals after controlling for BMI, age, and gender. The presence of co-morbid conditions contributes to some aspects of HRQOL impairment.
Kolotkin
Ronette L
RL
Obesity and Quality of Life Consulting, Durham, NC 27707, USA. rkolotkin@yahoo.com
Crosby
Ross D
RD
Pendleton
Robert
R
Strong
Michael
M
Gress
Richard E
RE
Adams
Ted
T
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012649:Self Concept; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D015431:Weight Loss