TITLE:
Health-related quality of life in obese youth in the lower Mississippi Delta
AUTHORS:
Wendy L. Ward, Judith L. Weber, Jeff Gossett, Pippa Simpson, Margaret L. Bogle, James M. Robbins
KEYWORDS:
Pediatric Obesity; Overweight; Quality of Life; Rural Health
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine,
Vol.2 No.3,
August
7,
2012
ABSTRACT: Objective: Adults and children in rural settings are at greater risk for overweight and obesity than those in urban settings. Multiple studies have suggested that quality of life is lower for obese individuals. This study addresses the association of obesity with health-related Quality of Life (QOL) among youth in the rural Mississippi Delta. Methods: QOL data on children aged 3 - 17 years using the PedsQL were collected as part of a cross-sectional telephone survey in the Delta. Weight was grouped by AAP categorizations as underweight, normal, overweight (85 - 95th BMI percentile), obese (95 - 97th percentile), and extremely obese (> 97th percentile). Results: 437 youth participated. Multiple linear regression models were used to predict PedsQL component scores. Results showed main effects for age (p = 0.006), race (p