Qualidade de vida em adolescentes obesos: revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Background: obesity presents complex and multifactorial etiology besides difficult treatment. It results in increased risk of premature death and debilitating nonfatal conditions, as well as psychosocial aspects, with an impact on quality of life (QoL). Objective: to review the literature regarding the QoL of obese adolescents and associated factors. Methods: a systematic review was performed on the Medline (PubMed), LILACS and SCIELO databases, using the descriptors Obesity, Overweight, Adolescents and Quality of life. We included original studies with the adolescent population (10 to 19 years), published in the last 5 years, in Portuguese, English or Spanish. Results and Discussion: after screening and reading comprehension by two researchers, 22 articles were selected to compose the review, with a total of 33,957 participants. The majority of studies were cross-sectional and found a statistically significant association between obesity and QoL impairment, with the physical dimension being the most impaired, with signs of a decline in social function. The main instrument used to measure QoL was PedsQL 4.0, a generic tool. There was increased interest in health research in QoL and the gains from this practice are significant for improved health care. Conclusion: obesity has a negative impact on the QoL of adolescents with obesity, especially in physical function, but there is a lack of longitudinal studies and national studies, with more standardized samples and questionnaires. Evidence is lacking on which factors are associated with poorer QoL in obese adolescent subjects, with evidence that female gender and higher obesity are some of these variables.