title: Correlates of perceived health related quality of life in obese, overweight and normal weight older adults: an observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease, which also has an impact on quality of life. The aim of this paper is to identify the correlates of perceived health related quality of life in obese, overweight and normal weight Italians older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  205 subjects at the age ≥ 60 yrs. were recruited into the Division of Endocrinology of the Polytechnic University of Marche Region, Ancona (Italy). A protocol of questionnaires was constructed for data collection, and included domains such as physical activity, quality of life, socio-psychological aspects. The association of the latter variables with SF-36 Health Survey physical component (PCS-36) were evaluated in the whole sample. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the effect of independent variables on PCS-36 and the physical subscales of SF-36.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCS-36 showed a lower score in the obese and overweight subjects than the normal weight group (post-hoc test, p < 0.001 and p < 0.05 respectively). Age, gender (male), Body Mass Index, years of education, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) total score, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression, number of medications prescribed and number of diseases were included in the model. Negative and significant PCS-associated variables included depression (p = 0.009), BMI (p = 0.001), age in years (p = 0.007), whereas positive and significant PCS-associated independent variables were years of education (p = 0.022), physical activity (p = 0.026). BMI was negatively associated with all the physical subscales of SF-36 (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research funding should be invested in the study of the benefits accruing from reducing obesity in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Geriatrics, INRCA (Italian National Institute on Aging), Fermo, Italy. c.giuli@inrca.it.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giuli
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Felici
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gagliardi
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marcellini
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boscaro
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Robertis
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mocchegiani
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faloia
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tirabassi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D056865:Ideal Body Weight; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires