Association among measures of physical function, functional disability and self-perceived fatigue in individuals with obesity

Objective: The purposes of this study were: 1) to compare the levels of self-perceived fatigue, physical function and self-reported functional disability between individuals with obesity and without obesity, and 2) to examine whether self-perceived fatigue predicted physical function and self-reported functional disability in individuals with obesity. Materials and Methods: Subjects who had a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2 were classified into the participants with obesity group (n=111) while those with BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 were included into control group (n=138). Fatigue was measured with the Turkish version of Checklist Individual Strength (CIS-T). The Physical Component Summary measure of the SF-12 (PCS-12), a 30 s Chair Stand Test (30 s CST), 11-step stair ascend/descend test (STTotal-11), and 10 m Walk Test (10 m WT) were used to evaluate physical functions of the participants. Functional disability was evaluated with the Functional Disability Questionnaire (FDQ). Results: There were statistically significant differences between the participants with obesity group and the control group regarding functional disability score, physical function measures, and fatigue scores (p<0.05). According to the CIST-T scale, 56.75% of individuals with obesity were fatigued. FDQ scores, PCS-12 scores, 10 m WT times, STTotal-11 times, and 30 s CST scores were significantly poorer in fatigued participants with obesity compared with the non-fatigue participants with obesity (p<0.05). Fatigue showed a significant correlation with functional disability and physical function parameters in participants with obesity (p<0.05). Conclusions: It is recommended that fatigue coping skills are included in strategies aimed at returning functional losses due to obesity.