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Relationship between overweight and health-related quality of life in secondary school children in Fiji: results from a cross-sectional population-based study

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, pages 539–546 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the relationship between excess weight (overweight and obesity) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of secondary school children in Fiji, by gender, age and ethnicity.

Methods:

The study comprised 8947 children from forms 3–6 (age 12–18 years) in 18 secondary schools on Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured height and weight, and weight status was classified according to the International Obesity Task Force recommendations. HRQoL was measured by the self-report version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0.

Results:

HRQoL was similar in children with obesity and normal weight. Generally, this was replicated when analyzed separately by gender and ethnicity, but age stratification revealed disparities. In 12–14-year-old children, obesity was associated with better HRQoL, owing to better social and school functioning and well-being, and in 15–18-year olds with poorer HRQoL, owing to worse physical, emotional and social functioning and well-being (Cohen’s d 0.2–0.3). Children with a BMI in the overweight range also reported a slightly lower HRQoL than children with a BMI in the normal weight range, but although statistically significant, the size of this difference was trivial (Cohen’s d <0.2).

Discussion:

The results suggest that, overall there is no meaningful negative association between excess weight and HRQoL in secondary school children in Fiji. This is in contradiction to the negative relationship between excess weight and HRQoL shown in studies from other countries and cultures. The assumption that a large body size is associated with a lower quality of life cannot be held universally. Although a generally low HRQoL among children in Fiji may be masking or overriding the potential effect of excess weight on HRQoL, socio-economic and/or socio-cultural factors, may help to explain these relationships.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many people involved in the Pacific OPIC Project for their work that made this study possible, including other coinvestigators, staff and postgraduate students, partner organizations and especially the students, teachers, parents and communities. The project was funded by the Wellcome Trust (UK), the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and the Health Research Council (New Zealand) through their International Collaborative Research Grant Scheme. The current paper was processed by additional funding from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (Sweden).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deakin Health Economics, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    S Petersen & M Moodie

  2. WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    S Petersen, M Moodie, H Mavoa & B Swinburn

  3. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinical Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    S Petersen

  4. Pacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases (C-POND), Fiji School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji

    G Waqa & R Goundar

  5. School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    B Swinburn

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Correspondence to S Petersen.

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Petersen, S., Moodie, M., Mavoa, H. et al. Relationship between overweight and health-related quality of life in secondary school children in Fiji: results from a cross-sectional population-based study. Int J Obes 38, 539–546 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.212

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