The relationship between body image and quality of life in treatment-seeking overweight women.
OBJECTIVE
To test the impact of body image on quality of life in overweight and obese people; to evaluate longitudinally the relationship between changes in body image, anthropometrical measurements and quality of life.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study and a longitudinal study in a sub-sample after 6 months.


METHODS
308 women in the cross-sectional study and 56 in the longitudinal study, aged 21-65, with body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2 and selected from people who had been sought treatment for overweight in our Institute from 1998 to 2001.


METHODS
Body weight, body height, waist and hip circumferences. The ORWELL 97 questionnaire to evaluate the obesity related quality of life (ORQL) and the BUT questionnaire to assess the body image (BI) were used.


RESULTS
The BUT score was the variable that explained the greatest amount of variance of ORWELL 97 both in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Despite no significant differences in athropometrical variables were found between subjects who dropped out and those who did not, psychometrical scores were significantly better in patients still in treatment in follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
BI is related to subjective ORQL independently of anthropometrical measurements both at baseline and after treatment. Better psychometrical scores in people still in treatment after 6 months suggest that BI could be considered one of the variables which influence compliance to the treatment program, this fact needs more investigations and could be of interest in obesity treatment outcome studies.
Minniti
A
A
Department of Biomedical and Surgical Sciences, Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Nutrition, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. ale.minniti@libero.it
Bissoli
L
L
Di Francesco
V
V
Olivieri
M
M
Mandragona
R
R
Mazzali
G
G
Residori
L
L
Zamboni
M
M
Bosello
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires