Quality of Life for Obese Women and Men in Turkey

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a complex, multifaceted disease that is widespread and growing in the developing world. People who are obese experience health-related quality-of-life impairments. METHODS: We administered the SF-36 Health Survey questionnaire to 1752 obese adults and 400 normal-weight adults in Izmir City, Turkey. We then compared the mean scores of the two groups by sex in eight quality-of-life domains. RESULTS: Differences in scores between obese women and normal-weight women were statistically significant in seven of eight SF-36 domains; differences in scores between obese men and normal-weight men were statistically significant in six of eight domains. Obese women were significantly more impaired than obese men in four of eight domains. Among obese women, 45.0% experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 13.2% of normal-weight women. Similarly, 41.3% of obese men experienced a reduced quality of life, compared with only 9.3% of normal-weight men. CONCLUSION: Obesity is associated with poor levels of health, particularly poor levels of physical and social well-being.