The Relationship between Weight Bias Internalization and Quality of Life among Overweight and Obese Youths in Thailand

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Youth with overweight and obesity are susceptible to weight bias internalization (WBI) and tend to experience impaired quality of life (QOL). However, the evidence regarding the relationship between WBI and QOL remains scarce among Thai youth. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between WBI and QOL among Thai youth with overweight and obesity.

METHODS: A cross-sectional design was conducted with 667 university youths with overweight and obesity from northeastern Thailand selected by a multistage sampling method. A self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to examine the association between WBI and QOL.

RESULTS: More than half of the youths (51.4%) were females with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.5 kg/m² (SD = 2.5). More than one third (37.8%) of the participants had a high level of WBI, and 48.9% reported being dissatisfied with their body image. Our results indicate higher BMI and greater WBI, and body image dissatisfactions were strongly associated with worse QOL overall and across all domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) after adjusting for all covariates.

CONCLUSIONS: WBI, BMI, and body dissatisfaction play an important role in impaired QOL. Thus, the development of intervention strategies or programs should consider the reduction of these factors as a key component of care or treatment for youth with overweight and obesity to improve QOL.