title: Quality of life of obese children in Malaysia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality of life (QoL) is impaired in childhood obesity, but the literature on this is all from Western countries. Aim. To test for impairment of QoL in obese children in Malaysia, using parent-reported and child-reported QoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health-related Quality of Life was measured using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0. Comparison of QoL between a community sample of 90 obese children (as defined by US CDC and Cole-IOTF definitions), median age 9.5 y (interquartile range [IQR] 8.6, 10.5 y) and 90 control children of healthy weight (BMI less than the 85th centile of US reference data), median age 10.0 y (IQR 9.6, 10.5 y). Children were matched pair-wise for age, gender, and ethnic group, and controls were recruited from schools in the same area as obese participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For child self-report, the healthy weight group had significantly higher QoL for the physical (median 82.9, IQR 65.7, 90.6), and psychosocial domains (median, 73.3, IQR 64.4, 83.3), and total QoL (median 76.1, IQR 64.1, 84.8) compared to the obese group (median 67.2, IQR 59.4, 81.3; median 62.5, IQR 53.3, 75.4; median 60.9, IQR 50.8, 73.9; all p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the obese and healthy weight group for parent-reported physical health, psychosocial health, or total QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obese children in Malaysia have markedly poorer QoL than their peers, but this is not evident when parent reports of QoL are used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamzaid
authors.forename: Ruzita Abd
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Talib
authors.forename: Nor Hidayah
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.forename: Nathirah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maamor
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.forename: Sharifah Wajihah
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Wafa
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life