Short- and Long-Term Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life with Weight Loss: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of weight loss and weight loss maintenance (WLM) on weight-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a 66-week trial. METHODS: Adults with obesity (N=137, 86.1% female, 68.6% black, mean age=46.1 years) who had lost ≥5% of initial weight in a 14-week intensive lifestyle intervention/low-calorie diet (LCD) program were randomized to lorcaserin or placebo for an additional 52-week WLM program. The Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL-Lite) scale (including five subscales), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (depression), and Perceived Stress Scale were administered at the start of the 14-week LCD program, randomization, and week 52 of the randomized controlled trial (RCT; i.e., 66 weeks total). RESULTS: Significant improvements in all outcomes, except weight-related public distress, were found following the 14-week LCD program (ps<0.05). Improvements were largely maintained during the 52-week RCT, despite weight regain of 2.0–2.5kg across treatment groups. Participants who lost ≥10% of initial weight achieved greater improvements in physical function, self-esteem, sexual life, and the IWQOL-Lite total score than those who lost <5%, and did not differ from those who lost 5–9.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in weight-specific HRQOL were achieved with moderate weight loss and sustained during WLM.