Mental health of people with distorted body weight perception using medicinal remedies: A representative study

The Role of Psychological Well-Being in Weight Loss: New Insights from a Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention

Background/Objective

Although the literature suggested that impaired psychological well-being (PWB) is associated with obesity, evidence on the role of PWB in weight outcomes is limited and inconclusive. This research aimed to investigate the joint role of PWB in achieving clinically significant weight loss (CWL; loss of 5% of the initial weight) through a comprehensive lifestyle intervention for obesity using a broad-based evaluation.

Method

This study is a prospective cohort of 96 patients with obesity attending a comprehensive lifestyle intervention for weight loss. Data on weight, lifestyle, PWB, and distress, were collected before and after the intervention.

Results

30.5% of the participants achieved CWL at the end of treatment. A more pronounced increase in autonomy (odds ratio = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.68, 0.93], p ≤ .01) and somatization (odds ratio = 0.83 [95% CI: 0.70, 0.98], p ≤ .05) from pre- to post-treatment were independently associated with a lower probability of CWL.

Conclusions

Unbalanced dimensions of PWB, in particular exceedingly high autonomy, may contribute to a poor weight loss outcome. This study paves the way for the addition of psychotherapeutic strategies geared to euthymia in comprehensive lifestyle intervention.

The moderating effect of gender on the relationships between obesity, well-being, and stress perception in Korean adolescents

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents with obesity are more likely to become adults with obesity. Therefore, obesity prevention in adolescence is essential for eliminating complications associated with obesity, which can affect health throughout the lifespan. This study examined the influences of adolescents' obesity based on BMI and that of obesity based on adolescents' perception of their well-being and stress, as well as the moderating effect of gender on these influences.

METHODS

Data were analyzed for 61,861 adolescents aged 12-18, who participated in the 2019 Korean Adolescent Health Behavior Survey, an online self-administered questionnaire. Adolescents' obesity based on perception was based on their self-rating as underweight, healthy weight, or obese. Chi-squared tests were used to determine whether well-being and stress perception were related to obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception, and a general linear model was used to examine the main and interaction effects of obesity based on BMI, obesity based on perception, and gender on well-being and stress perception.

RESULTS

Obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception coincided in 58.7% of the sample. However, the degree of obesity was overestimated and underestimated by 19.2 and 24.3% of the sample, respectively. Obesity based on BMI and obesity based on perception varied by gender, age, economic status, and academic achievement. The main effect of obesity based on BMI was not statistically significant on both well-being and stress perception, and only the main effect of obesity based on perception was statistically significant on stress perception. The interaction between obesity based on perception and gender was significant for well-being and stress perception. Herein, males scored higher on well-being and lower on stress perception. However, the association patterns were similar for males and females, with significant differences between underweight, healthy weight, and overweight/obese; however, for only females, there was no difference in well-being scores between underweight and those who perceived themselves as having a healthy weight.

CONCLUSION

The well-being and stress perception are influenced by obesity based on perception rather than obesity based on BMI, and this influence varies according to gender in adolescents.