Participant characteristics
Out of 1067 patients, 383 were males and 684 females. Most of the patients were older than 50 years, had a high school degree and were married and retired (Table 2). BMI ≥25 kg/m2 was found in 65.5 % of patients. Only 8 patients had a BMI <18 kg/m2 so they were merged with patients with a normal BMI for the purpose of the analysis. BMI in range 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 was found in 360 patients (BMI <25 kg/m2 overall 368 patients), 426 patients were overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2), BMI 30-34.9 kg/m2 had been determined in 213 patients, and BMI >35 kg/m2 in 60 patients.
Table2 Socio-demographic data
|
Number(%)ofpatients
|
BMI (kg/m2)
|
|
|
total
|
BMI<25
|
BMI≥25
|
25-29.9
|
30–34.9
|
>35
|
Gender
|
M
|
383(35.9)
|
109(29.6)
|
274(39.2)
|
167(39.2)
|
86(40.4)
|
21(35.0)
|
F
|
684(64.1)
|
259(70.4)
|
425(60.8)
|
259(60.8)
|
127(59.6)
|
39(65.0)
|
Age
|
30-40
|
171(16.0)
|
102(27.7)
|
69(9.9)
|
46(10.8)
|
21(9.9)
|
2(3.3)
|
41-50
|
165(15.5)
|
70(19.0)
|
95(13.6)
|
64(15.0)
|
23(10.8)
|
8(13.3)
|
51-60
|
249(23.3)
|
68(18.5)
|
181(25.9)
|
108(25.4)
|
59(27.7)
|
14(23.3)
|
61-70
|
236(22.1)
|
63(17.1)
|
173(24.7)
|
95(22.3)
|
53(24.9)
|
25(41.7)
|
>70
|
246(23.1)
|
65(17.7)
|
181(25.9)
|
113(26.5)
|
57(26.8)
|
11(18.3)
|
Education
|
Elementary school
|
142(13.3)
|
28(7.6)
|
114(16.3)
|
54(12.7)
|
45(21.1)
|
15(25.0)
|
Highschool
|
605(56.7)
|
212(57.6)
|
393(56.2)
|
236(55.4)
|
122(57.3)
|
35(58.3)
|
College
|
320(30.0)
|
128(34.8)
|
192(27.5)
|
136(31.9)
|
46(21.6)
|
10(16.7)
|
Employment
|
Unemployed
|
245(23.0)
|
101(27.4)
|
144(20.6)
|
81(19.0)
|
48(22.5)
|
15(25.0)
|
Employed
|
359(33.6)
|
152(41.3)
|
207(29.6)
|
138(32.4)
|
57(26.8)
|
12(20.0)
|
Retired
|
463(43.4)
|
115(31.2)
|
348(49.8)
|
207(48.6)
|
108(50.7)
|
33(55.0)
|
Marriage
|
Yes
|
654(61.3)
|
218(59.2)
|
436(62.4)
|
270(63.4)
|
132(62.0)
|
34(56.7)
|
Other
|
413(38.7)
|
150(40.8)
|
263(37.6)
|
156(36.6)
|
81(38.0)
|
26(43.3)
|
The impact of body weight on the perception of …
... health: Out of 699 respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, 21.7% think that their excessive weight does not affect their health, 22% that it has mild impact on their health, 35.9 % that it has moderate impact, and 20.3% think that it has high impact on their health.
... physical activity: 27.9% respondents think that their overweight is unrelated to the physical activity, 24.7% that it has a weak correlation, 32 % moderate correlation, and 15.3% of them think that overweight has a strong impact on their physical activity.
...choice when buying clothes: 41.8% of respondents do not have problems due to their overweight when buying clothes, 37.8% sometimes have a problem, 12.6% usually have a problem, while 7.9% of respondents always have a problem when buying clothes due to their excessive weight.
... quality of life: 31.6% of respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 think that overweight does not affect the quality of life, 26.5% think that it has a mild impact on quality of life, 29.2% think that it has a moderate impact, while 12.7% think that overweight has a high impact on quality of life.
Comparison of the quality of life in two BMI groups (BMI <25 kg/m2 and BMI ≥25 kg/m2)
Significant difference regarding the BMI has been found in all domains of the WHOQoL-Bref questionnaire as well as in the assessment of the quality of life and satisfaction with health (Table 3). Significantly, respondents with BMI <25 kg/m2, assess their quality of life as better and are more satisfied with their physical and mental health, social relations and environment than respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2.
A significant negative correlation in the group with BMI <25 kg/m2 has been found between BMI and psychological health (Table 3). In subgroups of respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, a significant negative correlation has been found between BMI and all four domains of quality of life (physical and psychological health, social relations and environment), as well as between BMI and assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health. A negative sign of the correlation coefficient indicates that an increase in body weight has a negative impact on all domains of quality of life.
Table3 Comparison of Quality of Life and correlation with BMI according to BMI classification
BMI
(kg/m2)
|
|
Overall
QoL
|
Overall
Health
|
QoLDomains
|
Physical
Health
|
Mental Health
|
Social
Relationship
|
Environment
|
<25
|
M(SD)
|
3.8(0.7)
|
3.8(0.8)
|
27.1(4.9)
|
23.1(3.8)
|
12.0(2.1)
|
30.2(5.0)
|
≥25
|
M(SD)
|
3.6(0.8)
|
3.4(0.8)
|
25.5(5.0)
|
21.7(4.1)
|
11.1(2.3)
|
29.1(5.0)
|
|
t-test
(pvalue)
|
5.285
(<0.001)
|
7.919
(<0.001)
|
5.200
(<0.001)
|
5.713
(<0.001)
|
5.443
(<0.001)
|
3.390
(0.001)
|
<25
|
R
|
0.008
|
-0.006
|
-0.088
|
-0.103*
|
-0.109
|
-0.045
|
|
p
|
0.875
|
0.907
|
0.094
|
0.050
|
0.056
|
0.398
|
|
N
|
368
|
368
|
368
|
367
|
311
|
361
|
≥25
|
R
|
-0.149**
|
-0.112**
|
-0.189**
|
-0.177**
|
-0.119**
|
-0.136**
|
|
p
|
<0.001
|
0.003
|
<0.001
|
<0.001
|
0.005
|
<0.001
|
|
N
|
698
|
699
|
699
|
697
|
566
|
671
|
A:<25
|
M(SD)
|
3.8(0.7)
|
3.8(0.8)
|
27.1(4.9)
|
23.1(3.8)
|
12.0(2.1)
|
30.2(5.0)
|
B:25.01-30
|
M(SD)
|
3.6(0.7)
|
3.4(0.8)
|
26.2(4.7)
|
22.1(3.9)
|
11.2(2.2)
|
29.6(4.9)
|
C:30.01-35
|
M(SD)
|
3.5(0.8)
|
3.3(0.9)
|
24.7(5.1)
|
21.2(4.3)
|
11.0(2.4)
|
28.4(4.9)
|
D:>35
|
M(SD)
|
3.4(0.9)
|
3.1(0.8)
|
23.4(5.7)
|
20.3(4.7)
|
10.5(2.6)
|
27.9(5.3)
|
ANOVAFstatistic
(pvalue)
|
13.044
(<0.001)
|
23.307
(<0.001)
|
17.187(<0.001)
|
16.151(<0.001)
|
11.850(<0.001)
|
7.733
(<0.001)
|
PostHoctest
|
A-B;A-C;
A-D;B-C
|
A-B;A-C;
A-D;B-D
|
A-B;A-C;
A-D;B-C;
B-D
|
A-B;A-C;
A-D;B-D
|
A-B;A-C;
A-D;
|
A-C;
A-D;B-C
|
25.01-30
|
R
|
-0.049
|
-0.001
|
-0.037
|
-0.062
|
-0.045
|
0.025
|
|
p
|
0.311
|
0.991
|
0.450
|
0.202
|
0.398
|
0.618
|
|
N
|
426
|
426
|
426
|
425
|
353
|
411
|
30.01-35
|
R
|
-0.062
|
0.016
|
-0.064
|
-0.084
|
-0.088
|
-0.126
|
|
p
|
0.366
|
0.820
|
0.353
|
0.225
|
0.266
|
0.074
|
|
N
|
212
|
213
|
213
|
212
|
160
|
200
|
>35
|
R
|
-0.277*
|
-0.203
|
-0.170
|
-0.312*
|
-0.115
|
-0.185
|
|
p
|
0.032
|
0.120
|
0.193
|
0.015
|
0.414
|
0.156
|
|
N
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
60
|
53
|
60
|
M(SD)–Mean(Standard Deviation);R – Pearson Correlation;
*.Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
**.Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level(2-tailed).
|
Characteristics of participants with BMI ≥25kg/m2
Among the obese (BMI > 25kg/m2) there are significantly more women (χ2 = 32.619, df = 1, p <0.001), persons over the age of 50 (χ2 = 82.381; df = 4; p <0.001), with a high school degree (χ2 = 93.657; df = 2; p <0.001) and married (χ2 = 42.817; df = 1; p <0.001).
Comparison of quality of life in respondents of four BMI groups
Significant difference regarding the BMI has been found in all domains of WHOQoL-Bref questionnaire (physical and psychological health, social relations and environment), as well as in the assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health (Table 3).
Analyzing the correlation in subgroups of respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, significant negative correlation has been determined only in respondents with BMI >35 kg/m2 between BMI and quality of life and BMI and psychological health (Table 3).
Quality of life in respondents with BMI ≥25kg/m2 – differences by socio-demographic characteristics
Analyzing the quality of life in respondents with BMI ≥25 kg/m2, we have found a significant difference regarding the gender in psychological health (better rates are determined in women). Regarding the age, education degree and working status, there is a significant difference in all four domains of quality of life (physical and psychological health, social relations and environment) as well as in assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health (younger respondents are more satisfied, with a higher education degree and work for those who are employed). Regarding marital status, we have not found a significant difference only in satisfaction with health (married respondents are more satisfied) (Table 4).
Table 4 Differences in the quality of life in patients with BMI≥25 regarding socio-demographic characteristics
|
M (SD)
|
|
Overall QoL
|
Overall
Health
|
Physical
Health
|
Mental
Health
|
Social
Relationship
|
Environment
|
Gender
|
M
|
3.60 (0.73)
|
3.43 (0.84)
|
25.59 (4.84)
|
22.08 (4.12)
|
11.20 (2.27)
|
29.45 (4.90)
|
F
|
3.54 (0.78)
|
3.34 (0.85)
|
25.40 (5.07)
|
21.41 (4.09)
|
11.04 (2.29)
|
28.86 (5.03)
|
t test
(p value)
|
1.114 (0.266)
|
1.387
(0.166)
|
0.474
(0.636)
|
2.093
(0.037)
|
0.822 (0.411)
|
1.485 (0.138)
|
Age
|
A: 30-40
|
3.84 (0.68)
|
3.75 (0.81)
|
28.28 (4.70)
|
23.49 (4.09)
|
12.04 (2.36)
|
30.26 (4.55)
|
B: 41-50
|
3.74 (0.76)
|
3.56 (0.73)
|
27.12 (3.49)
|
23.41 (3.49)
|
12.34 (1.70)
|
30.09 (4.72)
|
C: 51-60
|
3.51 (0.74)
|
3.43 (0.72)
|
25.98 (4.33)
|
21.43 (3.81)
|
11.03 (2.11)
|
29.04 (4.81)
|
D: 61-70
|
3.52 (0.79)
|
3.32 (0.88)
|
25.10 (5.04)
|
21.16 (4.38)
|
10.62 (2.34)
|
28.75 (5.44)
|
E: >70
|
3.47 (0.75)
|
3.15 (0.93)
|
23.40 (5.41)
|
20.80 (4.00)
|
10.24 (2.22)
|
28.44 (4.93)
|
ANOVA F statistic
(p value)
|
4.731 (0.001)
|
8.470 (<0.001)
|
18.268 (<0.001)
|
11.119
(<0.001)
|
16.810 (<0.001)
|
2.807 (0.025)
|
Post hoc test
|
A-C; A-E
|
A-C; A-D;
A-E; B-E;
C-E;
|
A-C; A-D;
A-E; B-D;
B-E; C-E;
D-E;
|
A-C; A-D;
A-E; B-C;
B-D; B-E;
|
A-C; A-D;
A-E; B-C;
B-D; B-E;
|
A-D; A-E; B-D; B-E;
|
Education
|
A: Elementary school
|
3.46 (0.81)
|
3.21 (0.96)
|
23.14 (5.56)
|
20.18 (4.62)
|
10.25 (2.66)
|
26.94 (5.33)
|
B: High school
|
3.49 (0.76)
|
3.33 (0.84)
|
25.44 (4.94)
|
21.41 (4.11)
|
11.16 (2.14)
|
28.75 (4.84)
|
C: College
|
3.78 (0.68)
|
3.57 (0.74)
|
26.94 (4.11)
|
23.08 (3.32)
|
11.41 (2.27)
|
31.09 (4.37)
|
ANOVA F statistic
(p value)
|
10.621
(<0.001)
|
8.053
(<0.001)
|
22.082
(<0.001)
|
20.693
(<0.001)
|
7.188
(0.001)
|
27.590
(<0.001)
|
Post-hoc test
|
A-C; B-C
|
A-C; B-C
|
A-B; A-C;
B-C
|
A-B; A-C;
B-C
|
A-B; A-C
|
A-B; A-C;
B-C
|
Employment
|
A: Unemployed
|
3.53 (0.69)
|
3.45 (0.68)
|
25.76 (4.44)
|
21.38 (3.88)
|
11.19 (2.29)
|
28.28 (4.53)
|
B: Employed
|
3.76 (0.75)
|
3.61 (0.78)
|
27.57 (3.91)
|
23.16 (3.78)
|
11.87 (2.07)
|
30.35 (4.70)
|
C: Retired
|
3.46 (0.77)
|
3.21 (0.91)
|
24.11 (5.31)
|
20.91 (4.17)
|
10.49 (2.26)
|
28.66 (5.22)
|
ANOVA F statistic
(p value)
|
10.359 (<0.001)
|
16.147 (<0.001)
|
34.572 (<0.001)
|
20.818
(<0.001)
|
21.640 (<0.001)
|
9.859 (<0.001)
|
Post-hoc test
|
A-B; B-C
|
A-C; B-C
|
A-B; A-C;
B-C
|
A-B; B-C
|
A-B; A-C;
B-C
|
A-B; B-C
|
Marriage
|
Yes
|
3.63 (0.76)
|
3.40 (0.83)
|
25.88 (4.91)
|
22.10 (4.01)
|
11.38 (2.12)
|
29.44 (4.93)
|
Other
|
3.46 (0.76)
|
3.34 (0.87)
|
24.81 (5.03)
|
20.97 (4.18)
|
10.53 (2.52)
|
28.49 (5.04)
|
t test
(p value)
|
2.944 (0.003)
|
0.989
(0.323)
|
2.778
(0.006)
|
3.528
(<0.001)
|
4.177
(<0.001)
|
2.378
(0.018)
|
M (SD) – mean (standard deviation)
|