The relationship in between obesity and quality of life in Brazilian grownups
Obesity is characterized by the extreme build-up of body fat relative to lean mass. Its prevalence reached crucial proportions, being one of the main problems that face public health in modern societies. Throughout the last years, studies showed that obesity has increased in developing nations. Obesity increases the danger of a number of chronic illness, such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular illness, coagulation changes, degenerative articulation illness, neoplasias, and sleep apnea, to name a few. Regarding the relationship in between obesity and death, a recent study showed an increased risk just for patients with a higher grade of obesity. However, most of the results published highlighted that overweight clients have an increase in death (Must et al., 1999; Adams et al., 2006; Guh et al., 2009).
The most frequently utilized technique to assess obesity in adults is the body mass index (BMI). BMI is computed as body weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of height (in meters). BMI is extremely correlated with body fat, but it does not directly measure the proportion of fat. Table 1 presents the classification of BMIs according to the World Health Organization. Topics are considered overweight, which is implicated in functional and health deficits, when they provide a BMI in between 30 and 40 kg/m2, a range that differs just in the degree of illness.
Weight ranges according to body mass index (BMI).
Obesity is thought about as a multifactorial condition, implicating medical, psychiatric, and social aspects. According to Dobrow et al. (2002 ), obesity is a behavioral disorder that shows excess food consumption compared with energy expenditure; for that reason, the hereditary contribution to the initiation and maintenance of obesity needs to be considered.
The genetic predisposition to obesity can be revealed in different degrees, either greater or lower, however environmental factors likewise contribute. The biological/environmental model instead of the psychological model best explains the habits that lead to obesity, although its repercussions affect psychological variables. According to Dobrow et al. (2002 ), numerous studies have exposed high correlations between obesity, anxiety, and low self-confidence.
No matter the particular reasons for obesity, its psychological aspects are essential when considering the quality of life (QoL) of obese people. Research studies revealed that overweight individuals are adversely impacted by judgments and direct and indirect criticisms from others. Hence, unfavorable feelings about oneself and the world often take place, causing anxiety and depression. Unfavorable personal beliefs about inability prevail in overweight people. Additionally, excess body weight can cause muscle pain, articulation pain, and pain. Due to the fact that the overweight body is heavy and large, it uses up more energy to move, as a result leading to the requirement to rest more often.
The World Health Organization specifies QoL as an individual's perception of his or her position in life within the context of the culture and value systems in which she or he lives and relative to his/her goals, preoccupations, patterns, and spans. QoL encompasses (1) physical elements, such as pain, fatigue, energy, rest, and sleep, (2) psychological elements, such as self-confidence, memory, unfavorable and positive sensations, and understandings of body image and look, (3) social aspects that primarily concern individual relationships, and (4) environmental aspects, such as security, financial resources, leisure, and information (World Health Organization, 1996; Table 2). Research studies on obesity and QoL suggest a possible interaction in between these two variables (Hlatky et al., 2010; Buttitta et al., 2014; McLaughlin and Hinyard, 2014), in which physical, medical, and cultural elements that are related to obesity are directly reflected by scores on assessments of QoL. Illnesses related to being overweight, the problems and embarrassment that overweight people typically experience, and cultural beliefs about appeal, efficiency, performance, and personality characteristics (e.g., self-control and perseverance) can adversely interfere with the way of life of obese individuals.