Quality of life and overweight: The Obesity Related Well-Being (ORWELL 97)questionnaire

The development and validation of a self-reported measure of obesity-relate d quality of life, the Obesity Related Well-Being (ORWELL 97), were underta ken to examine the intensity and the subjective relevance of physical and p sychosocial distress. The questionnaire was validated in a sample of 147 ob ese patients (99 females, 48 males). The Eating Disorder Examination 12.0D interview, a structured diagnostic interview for DSM-III-R (DSM-IV criteria for binge eating disorder), Beck Depression Inventory, Binge Eating Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 1 and 2 scales were also applied. In ternal consistency and test-retest reliability were satisfactory. Factor an alysis allowed the identification of two subscales: ORWELL 97-1 related to psychological status and social adjustment, and ORWELL 97-2 related to phys ical symptoms impairment. Obese female patients showed a lower quality of l ife, and the severity of obesity appeared to interfere with physical functi oning rather than psychological status and social adjustment. The ORWELL 97 questionnaire appears to be a simple and reliable measure of obesity-relat ed quality of life, which can be used in current clinical practice. (C) 199 9 Elsevier Science Ltd.