• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.155-167
• /
• 2009

Objectives : Psychological comorbidities are high in patients with obesity and are associated with a variety of medical and dietary problems. This study aims to examine the association between psychological factors and obesity. Methods : This study was performed in pre-menopausal obese($BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2$, waist circumference ${\geq}85cm$) women in Seoul, in 2008 (n=35). Every patient underwent the obesity treatment program. The program included dietary and exercise education, and abdominal mesotherapy for 6 weeks. Simple anthropometry including weight, BMI and Computed Tomography (CT) including Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and Visceral adipose tissue/Subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (VSR) were done. To assess psychological factors, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (SES) questionnaire, Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire and stress response inventory(SRI) questionnaire were administered. Results : 1. All of the obesity indicators (except VSR) decreased significantly after the obesity treatment program. 2. There was a significant relationship between self esteem (SES score) and visceral obesity (VAT and VSR) measured at the end of the program. 3. During the intervention, the more weight, BMI, and subcutaneous adipose tissue decreased, the more self-esteem (SES) increased. There was no relationship between depression (BDI) and obesity. And the change in stress response (SRI) was associated with the change of deep subcutaneous adipose tissue and total abdominal adipose tissue. Conclusions : This study proves that visceral obesity may contribute to low self-esteem, and there is a possibility that the other psychological factors could also be related with obesity in Korean obese women. Individualised antiobesity therapy may be required depending on the patient's psychological characteristics and weight loss could be helpful in order to treat psychological problem in obese patients.