Objective:

To determine the association between quality of life related to overweight and obesity in adolescents.

Material and Methods:

A case-control study of 256 adolescents between 15 and 19 years were administered a validated instrument, the SF -12 health questionnaire and Kiddo - Kindl questionnaire for young people.

Results:

The average age of the adolescents was 17, the average BMI was 24.27 kg/m2 +/-3.82 kg/m2. The dimension of the SF-12 with the lowest average score was general health (66.80±20.076). The best perceived dimensions were: physical role (89.45 ± 26.311) and physical functioning (87.21 ± 23.638). The best results in the assessment of quality of life were in the dimension’s family (4.08 ± 0.86) and friends (4.08 ± 0.80); matters related to participation obtained statistical significance (p < 0.05), which behaves as a risk factor for the presence of overweight and obesity, as well as being proud of physical appearance (OR = 4.31, IC = 1.10 to 19.77) (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

The dimensions of quality of life, which are best perceived by teenagers, were physical role, and bodily dimension. The emotional role dimension was statistically significant in the test cases, and in the control cases, social function. Regarding age, body was the statistically significant dimension for the test group, and vitality for the control group. The perception of quality of life before being overweight was good, in contrast to the perception of quality of life after being overweight and obese.

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