• Robin M Masheb, Jennifer L Snow, Lindsay M Fenn, Nicole E Antoniadis, Susan D Raffa, Christopher B Ruser, and Eugenia Buta.
• VA Connecticut Health System West Haven Campus, VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven VA Medical Center, West Haven, CT, USA. robin.masheb@yale.edu.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2023 Jul 1; 38 (9): 207620812076-2081.

BackgroundThe Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is in need of population health approaches to address overweight and obesity-related diseases. BMI serves as a simple, blunt metric to monitor these efforts. However, emerging research has demonstrated that healthcare weigh-ins contribute to weight stigma which paraodoxically is associated with weight gain. An alternative metric is urgently needed for VHA's MOVE!® Weight Management Program and other eating- and weight-related services.ObjectiveTo develop a brief population health metric called the Weight and Eating Quality of Life (WE-QOL) Scale and assess its psychometric properties.DesignThe literature was reviewed for relevant weight- and eating-specific QOL measures to identify unique and overlapping constructs. Eight items, representing these constructs, comprised the new brief WE-QOL Scale. A survey study was conducted with data analyzed in STATA.ParticipantsA total of 213 consecutively evaluated US Veterans attending an orientation session for MOVE!.Main MeasuresThe WE-QOL Scale, as well as a widely used generic health-related QOL measure, the European Quality of Life Screener (EQ-ED-5L), and relevant validated measures.Key ResultsWE-QOL descriptive findings demonstrated severe impacts on physical activity and physical discomfort for approximately 30% of the sample each; moderate-to-severe impacts on daily responsibilities, emotional distress, and shame and guilt for one-third of the sample each and public distress for one-fourth of the sample. The WE-QOL Scale performed as well as, or better than, the EQ-ED-5L for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and associations to relevant constructs (BMI, eating pathology, and physical activity).ConclusionsFindings support the reliability and construct validity of the WE-QOL Scale. The WE-QOL Scale has potential to provide a standardized population health metric that could be used as a screening tool and clinical reminder to identify, refer, and assess outcomes for Veterans with weight and disordered eating issues. Future research could be targeted at using this measure to improve patient care and quality of care.© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.

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