Introduction: The recommendation to lose weight has been the guiding principle
in the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients. However, to facilitate this process, it
is vital to understand factors associated with personal feelings about body weight
and related behaviour. Methods: The objectives of this cross-sectional study
were (1) to determine mean BMI and weight of satisfaction and (2) to measure
the association between body weight satisfaction vs. sex, BMI, glycaemic control
(as measured by Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), and attempts to lose weight among
type 2 diabetic patients. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were
employed (SPSS 16). A total of 67 subjects were recruited from Klinik Kesihatan
Bandar Kuantan (age = 54.1 ± 8.1 years; female = 62.7%; Malay = 73.1%;
overweight/obese = 62.7%) who completed a set of self-administered
questionnaires. Results: The mean BMI and weight of satisfaction were 27.9 ± 5.3
kg/m2 and 62.7 ± 10.9kg respectively. A greater proportion of women (65.0%)
reported dissatisfaction with their body weight. Patients with higher BMI
generally reported greater dissatisfaction with body weight compared to those
with lesser BMI (p = 0.090). There was no significant difference in the glycaemic
control of patients who were satisfied or dissatisfied with their weight (p =
0.839). There was also no significant association between body weight satisfaction
and diet (p = 0.957), physical activity (p = 0.517) or both (p = 0.734). Conclusion:
This study implies that body weight satisfaction alone is not a strong factor that
may drive type 2 diabetic patients to control their body weight.