The association between number of children and weight loss outcomes among individuals undergoing bariatric surgery

BACKGROUND: Existing research demonstrates that parity is associated with risk for obesity. The majority of those who undergo bariatric surgery are women, yet little is known about whether having children before bariatric surgery is associated with pre- and postsurgical weight outcomes. OBJECTIVES: We aim to evaluate presurgical body mass index (BMI) and postsurgical weight loss among a racially diverse sample of women with and without children. SETTING: Metropolitan hospital system. METHODS: Women (n = 246) who underwent bariatric surgery were included in this study. Participants self-reported their number of children. Presurgical BMI and postsurgical weight outcomes at 1 year, including change in BMI (ΔBMI), percentage excess weight loss (%EWL), and percentage total weight loss (%TWL) were calculated from measured height and weight. RESULTS: Those with children had a lower presurgical BMI (P = .01) and had a smaller ΔBMI (P = .01) at 1 year after surgery than those without children, although %EWL and %TWL at 1 year did not differ by child status or number of children. After controlling for age, race, and surgery type, the number of children a woman had was related to smaller ΔBMI at 1 year post surgery (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Although women with children had lower reductions in BMI than those without children, both women with and without children achieved successful postsurgical weight loss. Providers should assess for number of children and be cautious not to deter women with children from having bariatric surgery

Predictors of Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery are at risk for devloping an alcohol use disorder (AUD). The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-surgical psychosocial risk factors for post-surgical alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking. Participants (N = 567) who underwent bariatric surgery between 2014 and 2017 reported their post-surgical alcohol use. Information was collected from the pre-surgical evaluation including history of alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, and maladaptive eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating, purging, and emotional eating). Younger age and pre-surgical alcohol use predicted post-surgical alcohol use and hazardous drinking. In addition, higher levels of depressive symptoms and maladaptive eating patterns predicted post-surgical binge drinking. Clinicians conducting pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations should be aware of the multiple risk factors related to post-surgical problematic alcohol use. Future research should evaluate whether preventive interventions for high-risk patients decrease risk for post-surgical alcohol misuse

Current challenges in software solutions for mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics

This work was in part supported by the PRIME-XS project, grant agreement number 262067, funded by the European Union seventh Framework Programme; The Netherlands Proteomics Centre, embedded in The Netherlands Genomics Initiative; The Netherlands Bioinformatics Centre; and the Centre for Biomedical Genetics (to S.C., B.B. and A.J.R.H); by NIH grants NCRR RR001614 and RR019934 (to the UCSF Mass Spectrometry Facility, director: A.L. Burlingame, P.B.); and by grants from the MRC, CR-UK, BBSRC and Barts and the London Charity (to P.C.

The Influence of Health Literacy and Health Numeracy on Weight Loss Outcomes Following Bariatric Surgery

Background: Guidelines for pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations for bariatric surgery recommend that evaluators understand patients’ cognitive abilities. However, existing research has focused on global cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine whether health literacy and health numeracy influence weight loss outcomes. Patients (N=527) who underwent bariatric surgery from 2014-2017 completed a survey reporting current weight in March-April 2018. Pre-surgical weight/BMI and levels of health literacy (REALM) and health numeracy (Brief Medical Numbers Test) were collected from the pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation. Participants were categorized in the weight loss period (\u3c2 years post-surgery) or weight maintenance period (2-4 years post-surgery). Weight loss outcomes included change in BMI (ΔBMI), percent total weight loss (%TWL), and percent excess weight loss (%EWL). Participants were predominantly female (83.3%), middle-aged (M=45.5 years), and Caucasian (62.3%) or African American (36.0%), with an average pre-surgical BMI of 48.06. For participants in the weight loss period, there were no significant relationships between weight loss outcomes and health literacy or health numeracy (p\u3e.05). However, for participants in the weight maintenance period, better health numeracy was related to greater ΔBMI (p=.01), %TWL (p=.01), and %EWL (p=.047). Additionally, there was a trend suggesting those with better health literacy had greater %EWL (p=.07). Findings suggest that patients with lower health literacy and numeracy may be less likely to maintain weight loss following bariatric surgery. Clinicians conducting pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations could consider assessing health literacy and health numeracy. Patients with low health numeracy may benefit from additional support, especially during the weight maintenance period

The Influence of Health Literacy and Health Numeracy on Weight Loss Outcomes Following Bariatric Surgery

BACKGROUND: Although cognitive functioning and health literacy are related to weight loss 1year following bariatric surgery, the influence of health numeracy (i.e., health-related mathematical abilities) is unknown. In addition, further research is needed to examine the impact of all these factors on longer-term weight loss outcomes to determine if they influence the ability to maintain weight loss. SETTING: Single bariatric center. METHODS: Patients (N = 567) who underwent bariatric surgery from 2014-2017 completed a brief survey including current weight. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted to gather information from the presurgical evaluation including weight, body mass index (BMI), health literacy, health numeracy and score on a cognitive screener. RESULTS: Among participants in the weight loss period (\u3c 2 years postsurgery), health literacy, health numeracy and cognitive functioning were not related to change in BMI (ΔBMI), percent total weight loss (%TWL) or percent excess weight loss (%EWL). However, for participants in the weight maintenance period (2-4 years postsurgery), higher health literacy scores were related to greater change in ΔBMI, and higher health numeracy scores were related to greater ΔBMI, %TWL, and %EWL. DISCUSSION: Although health literacy and health numeracy did not predict weight loss outcomes for those in the initial weight loss period, they were related to weight outcomes for participants in the weight maintenance period. This suggests that health literacy and health numeracy may play a role in facilitating longer-term weight maintenance among patients who undergo bariatric surgery. Clinicians conducting presurgical psychosocial evaluations should consider routinely screening for health literacy and health numeracy

Examining differences in long-term weight loss outcomes after bariatric surgery: The role of romantic relationship status

INTRODUCTION: This study tested for differences based on relationship status at the time of surgery in baseline body mass index (BMI), weight loss outcomes (change in BMI [ΔBMI], percent total weight loss [%TWL], percent excess weight loss [%EWL]), and rates of successful weight loss (defined as ≥ 50%EWL) up to 4-year postbariatric surgery. METHOD: Data came from a secondary analysis of patients (N = 492) who were up to 4-year postsurgery and completed a presurgical psychological evaluation and postsurgical survey. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of participants were patients in committed relationships and 31% were single/divorced/widowed patients. Single patients had higher presurgical BMIs than those who were partnered (t = 2.28, p = .02). There were no differences between those who were partnered and singles regarding ΔBMI and %TWL, although singles had smaller %EWL (t = -2.08, p = .04), which became nonsignificant after controlling for covariates. Most participants had successful weight loss (76.8%); however, this was not related to romantic relationship status. DISCUSSION: The results suggest those who were partnered undergo surgery at better-starting weights than singles and maintain this advantage in the long term. Providers working with patients considering bariatric surgery could inquire about how their romantic and social relationships play a part in their decision-making process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Exploring gender, psychiatric symptoms, and eating behaviors as predictors of attrition to bariatric surgery

BACKGROUND: Only a small proportion of eligible individuals undergo bariatric surgery. The purpose was to examine attrition to surgery and whether psychiatric symptoms and eating behaviors differentially predicted attrition among men and women. METHOD: Data was collected from a retrospective chart review of 313 patients who underwent a pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation. RESULTS: The overall attrition rate was 33.5%; 42.6% of men and 31.7% of women experienced attrition. In the multivariate analysis of the entire sample, White patients (OR = 2.33, CI: 1.33, 4.08) and those without a history of binge eating (OR = 2.71, CI: 1.23, 5.97) were more likely to undergo surgery. In a multivariate analysis of women only, race and binge eating independently predicted attrition; however, no factors significantly predicted attrition among men. CONCLUSIONS: Factors identified at the pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation can identify patients at risk for attrition, and these factors may differ for men and women

A Review of Psychosocial Risk Factors Among Transgender Patients Seeking Bariatric Surgery

As nearly one third of transgender individuals in the USA are obese, more transgender patients may pursue bariatric surgery as a means of sustaining weight loss. Transgender individuals, like bariatric surgery patients, have high rates of mood pathology, substance use, abuse, and self-harm behaviors. However, there is no research on transgender bariatric surgery candidates. The aim of this review is to elucidate potential psychosocial risk factors, including sex hormone management, which may impact surgical clearance, presurgical psychosocial assessment, and treatment recommendations

Patient Recall of Education about the Risks of Alcohol Use Following Bariatric Surgery

Patients who undergo bariatric surgery are at increased risk of developing alcohol problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether patients who underwent bariatric surgery recalled receiving education about alcohol prior to having surgery and to investigate their alcohol use patterns. Patients (N = 567) who underwent bariatric surgery completed a survey regarding their knowledge of risks related to post-surgical alcohol use. Although most patients recalled receiving education about abstinence from alcohol after surgery, at least one-third of patients do not appear to understand the risks involved with alcohol consumption, suggesting that patients did not retain the information. Despite recalling receiving education, many patients still consumed alcohol after surgery. It appears that additional interventions are needed to decrease alcohol use after bariatric surgery