To explore the relationship between abdominal obesity and health related quality of life (HRQOL) in Chinese adults and provide the basis of scientific weight management for people.

By cross-sectional survey, data of 1 114 cases were collected from physical examination centers of two hospitals in Guangdong and Anhui.Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between abdominal obesity and HRQOL.

Compared with non-abdominal obesity group, the bodily pain score of the mild abdominal obesity group was lower((75.25±21.29) vs (78.07±19.37), t=4.47, P<0.05); the SF-36 score of the physical component summary((71.74±17.08) vs (77.49±15.36), t=17.01, P<0.01) and its three dimensions (physical functioning(83.14±15.90) vs (89.24±12.61), t=26.32, P<0.01; bodily pain(70.02±20.99) vs (78.07±19.37), t=21.26, P<0.01; role physical (75.90±35.45) vs (83.18±29.74), t=7.00, P<0.05) of the severe abdominal obesity group were lower and the mental health dimension of mental component summary was higher.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with normal subject, data on the odds ratios (ORs) of impaired HRQOL in physical component summary (OR=1.64, 95%CI=1.15-2.32, P<0.01), physical functioning (OR=2.0, 95%CI=1.42-2.90, P<0.01) and bodily pain (OR=1.74, 95%CI=1.22-2.49, P<0.01) increased among severe abdominal obesity group while in mental health dimension(OR=0.56, 95%CI=0.39-0.82, P<0.01) of mental component summary decreased.

The abdominal obesity's effects on HRQOL are mainly reflected in the impairment of physical component summary made by the severe abdominal obesity group.While it has positive effect on mental component summary and its dimensions, especially in the mental health.

Abdominal obesity; Health-related quality of life; Logistic regression analysis