Obesity and body mass index (BMI) in relation to life-style and psycho-social aspects.
Obesity is increasing in middle-aged adults and the elderly. This multifactorial phenomenon may have different causes, such as incorrect nutritional and dietary habits, psycho-social aspects and sedentary life-style. It is becoming a serious problem, due also to the world's ageing society. The aim of this study is to provide preliminary results on BMI, life-style and psycho-social aspects in a sample of Italian subjects, which also assesses the relationship between obesity and psychological health. We hypothesize that obesity is related to many factors, such as life-style, behavioral, socio-economic, and psychological aspects. The sample was made up of 107 obese and non-obese subjects, aged 50-74. All participants were given a multidimensional assessment, which included anthropometric, psycho-social and life-style evaluation. As per the protocol a structured life-style questionnaire designed to gather information on anthropometric measurements, socio-economic factors, physical activity, smoking, alcohol and food intake. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) for the evaluation of a broad range of psychological problems and symptoms of psychopathology; the Binge Eating Scale (BES) for the assessment of disorders in the eating habits were administered. BMI was associated with age and education, socio-economic status and smoking in both genders. Psychological factors for obesity differed between overweight men and women. In conclusion, obesity and non-obesity appear as two different entities in some aspects. The increase in the prevalence of obesity in elderly subjects could lead to disability and age-related diseases. For this reason, greater insight of the factors related to the development of obesity is required to develop treatment strategies weight-loss prevention programs.
Marcellini
F
F
Center of Psycho-Social Aspects of Aging, Scientific-Technological Area, INRCA (Italian National Institute on Aging), Ancona, Italy. f.marcellini@inrca.it
Giuli
C
C
Papa
R
R
Tirabassi
G
G
Faloia
E
E
Boscaro
M
M
Polito
A
A
Ciarapica
D
D
Zaccaria
M
M
Mocchegiani
E
E
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires