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Perceptions of Obesity in Old Age: A Qualitative Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2024

S. von Humboldt ,
N. Ilyas  and
I. Leal
S. von Humboldt*
Affiliation:
1William James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
N. Ilyas
Affiliation:
2Center for Clinical Psychology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
I. Leal
Affiliation:
1William James Center for Research, ISPA – Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The relationship between obesity and mental health in old age is complex and widely impacted by different biological, psychological, and social factors.

Objectives

The primary objectives of this qualitative research study are: a) To understand the influence of obesity on older adults’ well-being; b) to assess emotional experiences related to obesity in old age and; c) to explore how obesity influences the mental health of older adults.

Methods

This study included 346 participants aged 65 to 84 years (M=73.9; SD=5.61) from three different nationalities (English, Spanish, and Portuguese). All interviews went through content analysis.

Results

This study identified four main themes regarding the influence of obesity on older adults’ well-being: (1) Insatisfaction with Body Image (66%); (2) Feeling embarrassed (65%); (3) Feeling Social Isolated (57%); and (4) Lost Opportunities (46%)Three main themes for emotional experiences were frequently verbalized by the participants: (1) Shame (81%); (2) Guilt (78%); and (2) Incompetence (76%). Finally, three main influences in mental health due to obesity were reported: (1) Self-concept (88%); (2) Stress (78%); and (3) Melancholia (63%).

Conclusions

These results highlighted that obesity negatively influences older adults’ well-being and emotional experiences and has serious mental health-related negative outcomes for older adults. Interventions like community-based weight loss programs can be effective in controlling weight and improving the social interaction of obese older adults.

Keywords: Emotional experiences; mental health; obesity; older adults; well-being.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 67 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2024 , pp. S562
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of European Psychiatric Association
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