Background: Psychosocial impact of obesity is of concern in the present world but remains less studied compared to its physical consequences. People who take treatment for obesity are reported to be positively associated with psychiatric illnesses and also personality characteristics or psychological conditions influence the obesity treatment.
Objective: The objective of this study was to study the prevalence of psychiatric illness and comorbid conditions among people with overweight and obesity and to find out factors associated with psychiatric illness. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in private obesity clinic, Ahmedabad. A total of 103 people attending obesity clinic were studied. Self-structured questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used.
Results: Of 103, 87.5% (91) were female. Mean age of people attending obesity clinic was 35 ± 9.2 years. About 67.3% were housewife and 92.2% were educated up to secondary or above. Thirty-eight (38.8%) and 59 (57.2%) of 103 were found to be having overweight and obesity, respectively. About 69% of people with obesity belong to Grade 1 and 31% belong to Grade 2 and 3. Psychiatric illness was observed among 38.8% (40) of the obesity clinic attendees. Of 40, 32.5% were found to have abnormal level of HADS score and needed intervention. Of 103, 45.6% had comorbid conditions such as joint associated problems (25%), hypertension (16.5%), and hypothyroidism (14%). Among overweight and obese with comorbidities, 48.9% had psychiatric illness. Psychiatric illness was observed among 37% of people with duration of obesity >5 years. The study did not find any significant association between overweight and obese having comorbid conditions (z = 0.63, P > 0.05) and duration of obesity (z = 0.44, P > 0.05) with psychiatric illness.
Conclusion: Both comorbidity and psychiatric illness are highly prevalent among obese people. This indicates early detection and intervention for both to decrease the morbidity and mortality among obese and overweight.
Key words: Obesity; Comorbidities; Psychiatric Illness; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Score
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