Assessment of the Quality of Life in Patients with Obesity in a Family Medicine Unit in Mexico City

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of adult patients with obesity. Methods: Cross-sectional and analytical study. Non-probabilistic sample of 163 patients diagnosed with obesity. The instrument used was SF-36. Data collection took place from January to December 2023. The SPSS V.25 program was used for statistical analysis. Informed consent was obtained from the patients. Results: Average age: 48.4,52.8% were female; 64.4% had grade I obesity; 7.4% grade III obesity. 21.5% had no other diagnosed disease, 17.2% had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 30.7% had systemic arterial hypertension. The quality of life had lower scores in the emotional role (35.78) and higher in the social function (62.88). Regarding the degree of obesity and quality of life, patients with grade I obesity had the highest average scores in the domains of physical function, body pain, general health, social function, and mental health. When performing the analysis with one-way ANOVA, statistical significance was obtained in the domains of physical function (p=0.003) and mental health (p=0.009). Conclusions: Patients had a significant deterioration in their quality of life. Correct treatment of obesity requires reformulating and coordinating comprehensive and efficient strategies that allow strengthening protective factors and self-care so that there is a lower psycho-emotional impact on the individual and his/her family.