An exploratory study of potential subgroups among overweight and obese individuals.

Abstract

Two hundred and five male and female members of Taking Pounds Off Sensibly (TOPS) participated in this study of potential psychological risk factors associated with being overweight or obese. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, the Questionnaire of Eating Disorders Diagnoses (Q-EDD), three subscales from the Eating Disorders Inventory-Third Edition (EDI-3), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Appearance Schemas Inventory-Revised (ASI-R). The ASI-R was not included in the analyses due to an insufficient number of individuals completing this instrument. A Two Step Cluster Analysis revealed two clusters of individuals differing across several variables including Body Mass Index (BMI), age of onset, distress experienced from being overweight, and the number of items endorsed on the BSI, EDI-3, and Q-EDD. Subsequent ANOVA and Chi-Square analyses conducted using the variables from the initial cluster analysis revealed significant differences between the clusters on all variables included in the analysis except marital status. These results suggest that there may be subgroups of individuals among the overweight/obese population based on factors previously identified in the literature. Furthermore, the results suggested that despite the heterogeneity within the overweight/obese populations, subgroups of individuals can be identified based on psychological and demographic variables.