Abstract

PIQUERAS, José A.; ORGILES, Mireia; ESPADA, José P.  and  CARBALLO, José L.. Health-related quality of life across weight categories in childhood. Gac Sanit [online]. 2012, vol.26, n.2, pp. 170-173. ISSN 0213-9111.

Objective: To analyze differences in health-related quality of life across weight categories based on body mass index in boys and girls aged 8 to 12 years old. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 678 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 12 years from the province of Alicante (Spain) was conducted. The scores on the dimensions of health-related quality of life, assessed by the Spanish version of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition, across the weight categories (according to the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards) and sex, were compared. Results: Overweight or obesity was found in 28.2% and 15.3% of the sample, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) across the weight categories on the distinct dimensions of health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Children are unaware of the impact of obesity on quality of life. Interventions to increase knowledge of this issue are required.

Keywords : Health-related quality of life; Child welfare; Weight classification; Childhood obesity.