The association between misperceptions around weight status and quality of life in adults in Australia

Heard, Christopher, Scuffham, Paul A., Ratcliffe, Julie and Whitty, Jennifer A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5886-1933 (2017) The association between misperceptions around weight status and quality of life in adults in Australia. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 15. ISSN 1477-7525

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Abstract

Objective: Limited evidence supports a possible association between a person’s perception of their weight status and their quality of life (QoL). This study evaluates whether misperception around weight status is associated with QoL and the impact of gender on this association. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Australian adults (n=1,905 analysed) collected selfreported height and weight (used to estimate BMI), gender and QoL (described using the AQoL-8D). Participants reported whether they perceived their weight status to be ‘underweight’, ‘healthy weight’, ‘overweight’ or ‘obese’. Misperception around weight status was categorised based on perceived weight status and self-reported BMI. Ordinary least squares regression was used to test associations between self-reported overall, physical and psychosocial QoL, misperception of weight status, and gender, across different BMI categories, after controlling for income, education, relationship status and health conditions. Results: Compared to accurate perception, underestimation of weight status was associated with higher overall QoL for obese males and females and for overweight males. Overestimation of weight status was associated with higher overall QoL for underweight females and lower overall QoL for healthy weight males and females. The same pattern was seen for psychosocial QoL. Physical QoL was less sensitive to misperception than psychosocial QoL. Conclusions: Self-reported misperception around weight status is associated with overall, psychosocial and to a lesser extent physical QoL in Australian adults, although its role depends on BMI category and gender. Generally misperception in the direction of “healthy weight” is associated with higher QoL and overestimation of weight status by those who are of healthy weight is associated with lower QoL. Findings should be confirmed in datasets that contain measured as opposed to self-report height and weight.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	obesity,perceived weight,predictors of quality-of-life,public health,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Respiratory and Airways Group Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Public Health and Health Services Research (former - to 2023) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Economics
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2017 01:41
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2022 02:26
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/62970
DOI:	10.1186/s12955-017-0627-7

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