Longitudinal associations between teasing and health-related quality of life among treatment-seeking overweight and obese youth.

Abstract

To examine concurrent and prospective associations between perceptions of teasing and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over the course of a behavioral/educational intervention and the subsequent year in a sample of overweight and obese children and adolescents. A clinical sample of 93 overweight or obese youths (ages 7-17 years) and 1 parent/guardian completed measures of teasing and HRQOL at pre- and posttreatment and follow-up assessments. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the factor structure of the measures and to assess prospective associations over a 15-month period. Results indicate that, concurrently, weight-related teasing is inversely associated with HRQOL and that, prospectively, HRQOL is inversely associated with subsequent teasing. Study findings are suggestive of a directional relationship with lower quality of life predicting subsequent higher levels of teasing. Results suggest the potential for interventions designed to improve HRQOL to reduce teasing experiences for overweight and obese youth.