Differences in Dietary Habits, Physical Exercise, and Quality of Life between Male and Female Patients with Overweight

Carmen Herrera-Espiñeira, Manuel López-Morales, María Milagrosa Olmedo-Alguacil, María del Carmen Martínez-Cirre, Antonia Lozano-Sánchez, Inmaculada Cobo-Porcel and Manuela Expósito-Ruíz
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Carmen Herrera-Espiñeira: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain
Manuel López-Morales: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain
María Milagrosa Olmedo-Alguacil: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 51001 Ceuta, Spain
María del Carmen Martínez-Cirre: Clinical Documentation Unit, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital of Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain
Antonia Lozano-Sánchez: Department of Internal Medicine, Baza Hospital, 18800 Baza, Spain
Inmaculada Cobo-Porcel: Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs. GRANADA, 18012 Granada, Spain
Manuela Expósito-Ruíz: Unit of Biostatistics, Department of Statistics, School of Medicine, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-9

Abstract: Overweight can be an additional problem in patients admitted to hospital. Objective: To analyze gender differences in pre-admission dietary habits and physical exercise and in HRQoL at hospital discharge among hospitalized adults with overweight. Methods: Cross-sectional study in non-diabetic patients enrolled in a clinical trial with body mass index (BMI) ? 25 Kg/m 2 at admission. Bivariate analyses used Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test for qualitative variables and the Mann–Whitney test for numerical variables. Results: The study included 148 males and 127 females. At admission, women had higher BMI ( p = 0.016) than men and a larger percentage consumed drugs for depression ( p = 0.030) and anxiety ( p = 0.049), and followed a religion-based diet ( p = 0.022). Pre-admission, women had healthier habits related to dietary caloric intake ( p = 0.009) and greater adherence to recommendations for a healthy diet ( p = 0.001). At discharge, women described worse self-perceived health ( p = 0.044) and greater pain/discomfort ( p = 0.004) in comparison to men. Conclusions: Pre-admission, women had better habits related to a healthy diet and did not differ from men in habits related to physical exercise but had a higher BMI. At discharge, women reported worse self-perceived health and greater pain/discomfort. These differences should be considered for the adequate clinical management of patients with overweight.

Keywords: women; men; overweight; quality of life; exercise; food habits; patients; internal medicine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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