Association of Preference-Based Health-Related Quality of Life with Weight Loss in Obese Adults

Abstract Background The obesity epidemic is linked to substantial health care resource use, reduction in workforce and home productivity, and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Changes in body mass index (BMI) are associated with improvements in HRQOL; the nature of this relationship, however, has not been reliably described. Objectives To determine the independent association between changes in BMI and change in utility-based HRQOL. Methods Data were prospectively collected on 500 severely obese adult patients enrolled in a single-center obesity management clinic. Univariable and multivariable linear regressions were performed, adjusting for the effect of the intervention itself, obesity-related comorbidities, BMI at enrollment, age, and sex. Results A 1-unit reduction in BMI was associated with a 0.0075 (95% confidence interval 0.0041–0.0109) increase in the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire score. This relationship was unaltered in various analyses, and is likely applicable to any health-care–induced changes in BMI. Conclusions The quantification of this association advances the understanding of the clinical benefits of interventions that affect BMI, and can inform more robust cost-utility analyses.