Sexual Functioning in Obese Adults Enrolling in a Weight Loss Study

Abstract

The authors assessed sexual functioning among treatment-seeking obese men (n = 91) and women (n = 134) using the comprehensive validated Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. Scores were lower for women than for men, indicating reduced sexual functioning. Men's scores fell between those of a group of cancer survivors and a general population group, whereas women generally had lower scores than both of these groups. Increasing body mass index was associated with decreasing sexual functioning only for arousal and behavior. Sexual functioning was also reduced on most subscales for individuals who reported sexual inactivity in the past month.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Grant 5R01 DK67352 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Bethesda, Maryland) to Dr. Gadde. The sponsor had no role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data, or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript version of this article. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institutes of Health, or the Department of Health and Human Services. The authors sincerely thank Gretchen Yonish, Mariko Kopping, and Catherine Gang for assistance with data collection.