Weight loss interventions that focus on wellbeing improve quality of life for teenagers, more so than achieving weight loss

Teenage years are a turbulent time. Adolescents are managing friendship groups and family life, mounting school pressure to get good grades, and now, all the extra pressure that comes from social media. Weight management is an added complexity, but a relevant one, as 25 % of adolescents are overweight. Whilst there is considerable effort placed on encouraging weight loss in adolescents who are overweight or obese, we rarely stop to consider whether this weight loss, whilst improving health outcomes, actually makes life more enjoyable.

Adolescents (10-19 year old) affected by being obese report a similar quality of life to adolescents with cancer [1]. The increasing prevalence of obesity among adolescents is well documented. An estimated one in four children and adolescents are overweight or obese, with this figure set to rise to one in three by 2025 [2].

Weight management is important due to its role in managing the physiological effects of overweight and obesity. By reducing adipose tissue, the risk of developing numerous physiological comorbidities is reduced. Being overweight or obese also exacerbates psychosocial comorbidities, including emotional stress, reduced self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and stigmatisation in this already high-risk age group. And whilst weight management to reduce adipose tissue, or fat mass, may improve physiological comorbidities, it is currently unclear whether weight management improves quality of life for adolescents [3].

Ms. Margaret Murray from Monash University along with Associate Professor Maxine Bonham, Jessie Pearson, and Dr. Aimee Dordevic have been working to understand the impact of multicomponent weight management interventions on quality of life in adolescents affected by overweight and obesity. These interventions incorporate three elements; behavioural, dietary and physical activity.

Measuring quality of life requires subjective assessments of physical, psychological, emotional and social well-being [4]. Quality of life assessment tools measure specific aspects of quality of life, such as physical and psychosocial quality of life, which can be reported individually or combined to give an overall score [5]. Information can also be gathered via a subjective measurement of the individuals’ health status by using scaling systems [3].

The research team's recent meta-analyses of 10-19 year old adolescents showed a positive impact on quality of life was found as a result of interventions that focused on improving wellbeing. Involvement from parents and the use of group settings were key factors identified to assist with improved quality of life. Of note, there wasn’t actually a correlation between weight loss and improved quality of life, even though being overweight or obese is associated with poorer quality of life [3]. The reduced quality of life reported by this group may be due to the social consequences of obesity, rather than actual weight.

The findings of the study suggest that the negative social impacts of overweight or obesity are stronger drivers for the decline in quality of life than weight status itself. Moving forward, improving social interaction and support from parents and peers will have a more powerful impact on improving quality of life, and as such will help improve the overall health outcomes for adolescents who are overweight or obese.

More Information:

Associate Professor Maxine Bonham is a Registered Nutritionist (Australia/UK) and an academic staff member and researcher within the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food. Maxine’s expertise is in the successful development and oversight of nutrition intervention programs that favourably impact metabolic health. Click here to access Maxine’s research profile. You can follow Maxine on Twitter via @MaxineBonham.

Dr Aimee Dordevic is a Registered Nutritionist (Australia, UK) and works as a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University. Her current research focuses on investigating dietary strategies that improve metabolic outcomes in people with or at risk of chronic disease, with a particular interest in metabolic inflammation, and analysis of ‘omic’ data. Click here to access Aimee’s research profile. You can follow Aimee on Twitter via @AimeeDordevic.

Margaret Murray completed her PhD studies with the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food at Monash University. Click here to access Margaret’s research profile. You can follow Margaret on Twitter via @MargaretSMurray.

Stay up to date with the Monash University Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food on Twitter via @MonashNutrition.

 Image Credit: RawPixel via Unsplash.

Publication information

Reference: Murray M, Pearson JL, Dordevic AL, Bonham MP. The impact of multicomponent
weight management interventions on quality of life in adolescents affected by
overweight or obesity: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev.
2018 Oct 24. doi: 10.1111/obr.12774. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed

Obesity Reviews is ranked 8 out of 142 in category endocrinology and metabolism - science and has an impact factor of 8.483.

Link to publication: Click here to access the paper published in Obesity Reviews.

References

1. Schwimmer JB, Burwinkle TM, Varni JW. Health-related quality of life of severely obese children and adolescents. JAMA. 2003;;289(14):1813-9.

2. Haby MM, Markwick A, Peeters A, Shaw J, Vos T. Future predictions of body mass index and overweight prevalence in Australia. Health Promotion International. 2012;27:250-260

3. Murray M, Pearson JL, Dordevic AL, Bonham MP. The impact of multicomponent weight management interventions on quality of life in adolescents affected by overweight or obesity: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obesity Reviews. Obesity Reviews. 2018; doi: 10.1111/obr.12774

4. World Health Organization Quality of Life Group. Development of the WHOQOL: rationale and current status. International Journal of Mental Health 1994;23(3): 24–56.

5. Varni JW, Burwinkle TM, Seid M, Skarr D. The PedsQL 4.0 as a pediatric population health measure: feasibility, reliability, and validity. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2003;3(6): 329–341.