Bodyweight Changes Are Associated with Reduced Health Related Quality of Life: The Hordaland Health Study

There is lack of studies investigating the association between bodyweight changes and health related quality of life (HRQL). The aim was to study the effect of relative changes in bodyweight over time on HRQL. In the Hordaland Health Study, 9276 men and 10433 women aged 40-47 years were included. Weight and height were measured and information on bodyweight changes during the last 5 years, physical activity and smoking was obtained from self-administered questionnaires including the Medical Outcomes Study MOS short form-12 including a Physical health Composite Score (PCS) and a Mental health Composite Score (MCS). Increasing bodyweight changes were associated with marked reduced scores in PCS and MCS also after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), physical activity and smoking. Men and women with a variation in weight with more than 15% during the last 5 years reported a mean score of MCS that was 0.48 standard deviation (SD) (3.9/8.1) and 0.35 SD (3.1/8.9) lower than those reporting a variation in weight less than 5%. No major differences were found between those who at date of examination were at the lower and higher end of the reported weight interval. There were no significant differences in the associations between men and women. Our findings confirm that increasing bodyweight changes are associated with reduced physical and mental health beyond what is related to BMI itself.