Impact of obesity on functioning in society - OQI-3, a new tool pilot study results.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective was to develop a tool enabling better understanding of obesity impact on social functioning with focus on daily functioning and work related activities.

Material and methods: Obesity Impact on Functioning in Society Questionnaire (OQI-3) was developed for use among adult population with obesity disease. It focuses on daily functioning, work related activities and emotions related to work environment social relations. The 3-part questionnaire combining qualitative and quantitative methods is gender specific and it was validated among 41 adult patients with obesity in Poland. The first part is a vignette examining patients' projected attitudes and emotions. The second is an open question related to daily activities mostly affected by obesity. The third part uses a Likert scale to assess the degree of difficulty in performing daily activities consisting of 11 actions taken in everyday life. Respondents select 1 of the answers on the scale to indicate the obesity influence on the mentioned activities.

Results: The qualitative parts provided information on attitudes and emotions, where mostly negative attitudes and emotions were mentioned. The most frequently mentioned were physical activity, walking up the stairs, housework and activities related to patients' image. The quantitative part identified 2 factors (1 - relations in the further social environment, 2 - functioning in a close environment). The Likert scale was recoded for each statement as follows: 1 - 3; 2 - 1; 3 - 2; 4 - 4; 5 - 5 and Cronbach's α value was calculated confirming scale reliability. It equals 0.874 for the total of items.

Conclusions: The OQI-3 is innovative and combines various research techniques to verify people suffering from obesity well-being and disease impact on social functioning. The pilot study has proven its internal consistence. However the modified tool based on the pilot results should be tested and validated on a larger study group. Guidelines for results interpretation should be developed with the final instrument version. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2025;38(2).