Quality of Life in Patients with Obesity: The Role of Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Medicine

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the role of rehabilitation medicine in obesity. Objective: to examine the benefits of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on the quality of life in patients with severe obesity. Methodology: We included 124 patients with obesity (mean age: 57 years; BMI ≥30), in an 8-week in-hospital multidisciplinary supervised program combining physiotherapy, nutrition and psychological support. Clinical, bio-psychological and functional parameters, as well as an obesity-specific quality-of-life score, were acquired at 0 and 8 weeks. Results: The quality-of-life score improved significantly at 8 weeks, from 60.8 to 68.8 (p < 0.0001), and was positively correlated with cardio-respiratory function (r = 0.47; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Our results highlight the important role of multidisciplinary rehabilitation medicine and its integrated approach to improve the quality of life of people with obesity.