The Impacts of Obesity on Psychological Well-being: A Cross-sectional Study about Depressive Mood and Quality of Life

Kim, Ji Yeong; Oh, Dong Jae; Yoon, Tae Young; Choi, Joong Myung; Choe, Bong Keun

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess whether individuals who visit clinics to ask medical help for obesity treatment depict comparable levels of depression, body dissatisfaction, eating psychopathology and lower quality of life. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study with 534 females who sought treatment for their obesity or overweight being recruited in seven clinical units in Seoul, Korea. The patients group was divided into two groups. The group 1 consisted of the patients with BMI >25 kg/m2. The women who showed BMI < or =25 kg/m2 among patients recruited for this study were classified as the group 2. The control group (group 3) was composed of 398 healthy females who have never tried to lose weight. RESULTS: We found that group 1 had higher frequency of more than moderate level of depression than group 2 and group3 did. Both patients groups showed greater eating disordered attitudes and behaviors regardless of obese condition than the control group. Group1 showed relatively lower level of quality of life than group2 and group3 in terms of the quality of life related to physical well-being. In addition, the control group reported higher quality of life in psychological health than both patients groups did. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, it is necessary for clinicians to make a careful evaluation of depressive tendency and eating disorders when obese women seek for medical help. The combination of medical treatment and psychological approach for obese women would result in higher quality of life.