The Impact of Overweight on the Quality of Life of Children Aged 10 to 16 Years Old
Study Objective: To assess the impact of overweight on the quality of life of children aged 10 to 16 years old. Study Design: Stage I - epidemiological study; stage II - retrospective case-control study. Materials and Methods. At stage I, we examined 2,770 children aged 10 to 16 years old and measured their anthropometric parameters during an annual routine examination. During stage II, 156 overweight and obese children (group S) and 90 children with normal weight (group N) had their QoL assessed with the use of the Peds Quality Life PQ 4.0 questionnaire. Study Results. In group S, the overall QoL value was 74.40 ± 11.35 points, while in group N it was 86.34 ± 8.26 points (p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences (р < 0.001) were also found in each questionnaire domain: physical, emotional, social welfare, and academic activity. Children in group N more frequently assessed their QoL as high or very high (78.9%), whereas in group S, the QoL was rather moderate (70.5%). Negative correlations between the body mass index and QoL (r = -0.28 in children aged 10 to 12 years old and r = -0.52 in children aged 13 to 16 years old), and moderate positive correlations between all QoL questionnaire domains (r = 0.46-0.55) show that obesity impacts all spheres of child's activity. Conclusion. Any actions concerning physical well-being of an overweight child should be accompanied by a comprehensive psychoemotional therapy. The time of the therapy is of importance as well since obesity gets worse with the age.