Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Quality of Life and General Health Perception in Women with Obesity

Do Eating Patterns Make a Difference?

  • Published:
Applied Research in Quality of Life Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in general health status and quality of life between patients who present “non-normative eating behaviours” (namely, binge eating disorder, night eating syndrome, sweet /fat food cravings and continuous nibbling) and patients without these eating behaviour characteristics. A cohort of 168 women with obesity, all candidates to bariatric surgery, aged between 15 and 65 (M = 39.04; SD = 10.86), with a body mass index ranging between 30.37 and 80.65 (M = 48.79; SD = 8.37), was studied. Participants answered to a clinical interview, to SF-36 and to ORWELL-97, after their informed consent. Results suggest that women with obesity reporting binge eating disorder, night eating syndrome and continuous nibbling show poorer general health status and worst quality of life than those who do not present these “non-normative eating behaviours”. Moreover, the general health status and the quality of life of patients with sweet/fat food cravings do not differ from those who do not report this eating behaviour. Nevertheless, patients reporting the eating behaviours studied do not differ from the others regarding their body mass index.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allison, K. C., Grilo, C. M., Masheb, R. M., & Stunkard, A. J. (2005). Binge eating disorder and night eating syndrome: a comparative study of disordered eating. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1107–1115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (1996). DSM-IV: Manual de diagnóstico e estatística das perturbações mentais. Lisboa: Climepsi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Birketvedt, G. S., Florholmen, J., Sundsfjornd, J., Østerud, B., Dinges, D., et al. (1999). Behavioral and neuroendocrine characteristics of the night-eating syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282(7), 657–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calvete, C. D., Gorría, M. J. M., Chimeno, I. M., Toro, C. R., Martín, J. L. B., & Bahamonte, S. N. (2002). Conductas alimentarias, actitudes hacia el cuerpo y psicopatología en obesidad mórbida. Actas Espaňolas de Psiquiatría, 30(6), 376–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, L. (2007). Craving for sweet carbohydrate and fat-rich foods—possible triggers and impact on nutritional intake. Nutrition Bulletin, 32(suppl. 1), 43–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Zwaan, M., Burgard, M. A., Schenck, C. H., & Mitchell, J. E. (2003). Night eating syndrome: a review of the literature. European Eating Disorders Review, 11(7), 7–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Zwaan, M., Roerig, D. B., Crosby, R. D., Karaz, S., & Mitchell, J. E. (2006). Night eating: a descriptive study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39, 224–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doll, H. A., Peterson, S. E., & Stewart-Brown, S. L. (2005). Eating disorders and emotional and physical well-being: associations between students self-reports of eating disorders and quality of life as measured by the SF-36. Quality of Life Research, 14, 705–717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontaine, K. R., & Barofsky, I. (2001). Obesity and health-related quality of life. Obesity Reviews, 2, 173–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grucza, R. A., Przybeck, T. R., & Colinger, C. R. (2007). Prevalence and correlated of binge eating disorder in a community sample. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 48(2), 124–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, P. J., & Mond, J. (2005). How to “count the cost” and measure burden? A review of health-related quality of life in people with eating disorders. Journal of Mental Health, 14(6), 539–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. J. (2007). Symposium on “molecular mechanisms and psychology of food intake”: the psychology of food craving. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 66, 277–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolotkin, R. L., Westman, E. C., Østbye, T., Crosby, R. D., Eisenson, H. J., & Binks, M. (2004). Does binge eating disorder impact weight-related quality of life. Obesity Research, 12(6), 999–1005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kushner, R. F., & Foster, G. D. (2000). Obesity and quality of life. Nutrition, 16, 947–952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone, M., & Alger-Mayer, S. (2004). Binge status and quality of life after gastric bypass surgery: a one-year study. Obesity Research, 12(3), 473–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mannucci, E., Ricca, V., Barciulli, E., Di Bernardo, M., Travaglini, R., Cabras, P. L., et al. (1999). Quality of life and overweight: The Obesity Related Well-Being [ORWELL 97) Questionnaire. Addictive Behaviors, 24(3), 345–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., Parker, I., & Brotchie, H. (2006). Mood state effects of chocolate. Journal of Affective Disorders, 92, 149–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petribu, K., Ribeiro, E. S., Oliveira, F. M. F., Braz, C. I. A., Gomes, M. L. M., Araujo, D. E., et al. (2006). Transtorno da compulsão alimentar periódica em uma população de obesos mórbidos candidatos a cirurgia bariátrica do Hospital Universitário Oswaldo Cruz, em Recife—PE. Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia e Metabolismo, 50(5), 901–908.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rand, C. S., MacGregor, A. M., & Stunkard, A. J. (1997). The night eating syndrome in the general population and among postoperative obesity surgery patients. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 22, 65–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieger, E., Wilfley, D. E., Stein, R. I., Marino, V., & Crow, S. J. (2005). A comparison of quality of life in obese individuals with and without binge eating disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 37(3), 234–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stunkard, A. J., Grace, W. J., & Wolff, H. G. (1955). The night-eating syndrome: a pattern of food intake among certain obese patients. American Journal of Medicine, 19, 78–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanofsky-Kraff, M., & Yanovski, S. Z. (2004). Eating disorder or disordered eating? Non-normative eating patterns in obese individuals. Obesity Research, 12(9), 1361–1366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Medical Outcomes Trust (1993). How to score the SF-36 health survey. Boston: The Medical Outcomes Trust.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wal, J. S. V., Waller, S. M., Klurfeld, D. M., McBurney, M. I., & Dhurandhar, N. V. (2005). Night eating syndrome: evaluation of two screening instruments. Eating Behaviors, 6, 63–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, M. A., Whisenhunt, B. L., Williamson, D. A., Greenway, F. L., & Netemeyer, R. G. (2002). Development and validation of the food-craving inventory. Obesity Research, 10, 107–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from Science and Technology Foundation, Portugal.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Praça 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004, Porto, Portugal

    Isabel L. Silva

  2. Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    José Pais-Ribeiro

  3. Hospital Geral de Santo António, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Helena Cardoso

Authors
  1. Isabel L. Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. José Pais-Ribeiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Helena Cardoso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabel L. Silva.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Silva, I.L., Pais-Ribeiro, J. & Cardoso, H. Quality of Life and General Health Perception in Women with Obesity. Applied Research Quality Life 3, 127–136 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-008-9050-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-008-9050-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation