title: Impaired health-related quality of life in preschoolers with obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for treatment-seeking preschoolers with obesity (N = 60) differed from preschoolers in a nonclinical comparison sample (N = 457).
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents in both samples completed the parent-proxy form of the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL). Between-group comparisons were conducted to examine differences for all scales and summary scores of the PedsQL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parent proxy-reported HRQOL was significantly lower for treatment-seeking preschoolers with obesity for all scales and summary scores except school functioning. Differences on the total scale score met the criterion for being a clinically important difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests treatment-seeking families perceive worse HRQOL for children with obesity as early as the preschool years. Discussion of HRQOL may be a more effective strategy for health care professionals in broaching the topic of weight with parents and identifying families who may be more receptive to weight management suggestions for preschoolers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, USA. Elizabeth_Kuhl@brown.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kuhl
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rausch
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Varni
authors.forename: Lori J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Stark
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*