Impact of Obesity on Life Satisfaction of Adults

Obesity is a growing public health concern that negatively affects not only physical health but also psychological well-being and overall quality of life. Life satisfaction represents an individual’s subjective evaluation of their life as a whole and is influenced by physical, psychological, and social factors. The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of life satisfaction among obese adults and to compare life satisfaction between Type-I and Type-III obese adults. A total sample of 420 obese adults (210 males and 210 females), aged 25–35 years, was selected from Patna, Bihar using purposive sampling. Participants were categorized into Type-I (BMI 30–34), Type-II (BMI 35–39), and Type-III (BMI ≥40) obesity groups. In this General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used for screening the heath status of obese adults and only healthy adults were selected. Data was collected using a Personal Data Questionnaire and the Life Satisfaction Scale developed by Promila Singh and George Joseph (2013). Results revealed that the majority of obese adults (56.9%) exhibited an average level of life satisfaction, while 43.1% reported low life satisfaction; nobody felt higher level of life satisfaction. The present study also revealed a significant difference in life satisfaction between Type-I and Type-III obese adults (t = 55.65, p < 0.01). The findings indicate that increasing severity of obesity is associated with poorer life satisfaction.

Obesity, Life satisfaction, Adults

1. Addis, I , Van Den Eeden, S.K., Wassel-Fyr, C.L., Vittinghoff, E., Brown, J.S., & Thom, D.H. (2006). Sexual activity and function in middle-aged and older women. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 107, 755-764. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ball, K., Crawford, D., & Kenardy, J. (2004). Longitudinal relationships among overweight, life satisfaction, and aspirations in young women. Obesity research, 12(6), 1019-1030. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Duval, K., Marceau, P., Lescelleur, O., Hould, F. S., Marceau, S., Biron, S., ... & Lacasse, Y. (2006). Health-related quality of life in morbid obesity. Obesity surgery, 16(5), 574-579. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Folope V, Chapelle C, Grigioni S, Coeffier M & Dechelotte P. (2012). Impact of eating disorders and psychological distress on the quality of life of obese people. Nutrition. 2012 Jul; 28(7-8):e7-el3. dor 10.1016/j.nut.2011.12.005. Epub 2012 Apr 7. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Gautam, S., Nijhawam, M., Kamal, P. (1987). Standardization of Hindi version of Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire. Indian Journal of Psychiatry,29 (1), 63-64. Retrieved from www.indianjpsychiatry.org >articles [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Herman, K. M., Hopman, W. M., & Rosenberg, M. W. (2013). Self-rated health and life satisfaction among Canadian adults: associations of perceived weight status versus BMI. Quality of Life Research, 22, 2693-2705. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Kuroki, M. (2016). Life satisfaction, overweightness and obesity. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(2). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Singh & Joseph (2013). Life-satisfaction scale (L-S Scale) National Psychological Corporation. Retrived from: www.npcindia.com [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. World Health Organization (2017): Obesity. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/obesity#tab=tab_1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• A Comparative Study of Adjustment Level, Parental Income and Academic Achievement of Adolescent Girls
• Increase in STIs among Adolescents in Masvingo District
• A Correlation between SDG 4 (Quality Education) and Emotional Disposition of Teacher Educators in Hyderabad District
• Ear Piercing Behaviour and Self-Esteem among Male University Students in Nigeria
• A Study of Religiosity and Psychological Well-Being