Influences of major weight loss in women treated with bariatric surgery on their partners’ and children’s weight and psychosocial functioning

The overall aim of the current PhD thesis was to explore how families of female bariatric surgery patients are affected by the surgery. The focus of the thesis was on differences in weight status in siblings born before and after maternal bariatric surgery, and on changes in weight and psychosocial functioning in partners and children of women undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Study I explored differences in BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity at the ages of four, six and 10 in children born before and after maternal bariatric surgery. Results showed that at no age did the children born after surgery have a lower prevalence of overweight or obesity, and that there was no association between differences in maternal BMI at week 10 of the two pregnancies and differences in siblings’ BMI at age four. Study II focused on changes in female RYGB patients’ partners in terms of BMI, waist circumference, sleep quality, body dissatisfaction and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results showed significant reductions in BMI and waist circumference in the partners. However, psychosocial variables, as measured by questionnaires, remained unchanged in the men. In Study III, differences in weight status, body esteem and self-concept in children of female RYGB patients were explored. It was found that the children had a reduced relative risk of overweight after maternal RYGB. The results also showed that the boys improved their age-adjusted body esteem slightly, whilst the girls did not. Study IV investigated changes in eating behaviour and food choices in female RYGB patients and their families. The women were shown to increase their cognitive restraint, decrease their uncontrolled and emotional eating, and reduce their intake frequency of soft drinks and sweets after surgery. Their partners, however, reported no changes in their eating behaviour and food choices. The boys’ eating behaviour improved following maternal RYGB, but the same was not true for the girls in the sample. The children who were overweight or obese at baseline also improved their eating behaviour in comparison to the normal weight children. In conclusion, this thesis shows that women’s gastric bypass surgery may be associated with positive changes in her partners’ and children’s weight, especially if they are themselves overweight. Changes in psychosocial functioning are smaller and more complex in the current sample, and require further study

'The only chance of a normal weight life': A qualitative analysis of online forum discussions about bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND:The only effective weight loss treatment for severe obesity is bariatric surgery, with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass being the most common method. Patients often have unrealistic expectations of surgery and expect a "miracle cure" even though the procedure requires major lifelong lifestyle changes. Most patients access information about the procedure online, and come into contact with others who have had the surgery. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to describe shared values, feelings, and thoughts among visitors to a web-based forum for those undergoing bariatric surgery. METHODS:In this cross-sectional observation study using qualitative contents analysis, the material consisted of an online discussion forum thread about bariatric surgery, with 498 posts. These were saved in a document, read and re-read. Through coding of meaningful units of text, themes were established. RESULTS:Four themes were constructed during data analysis: a) A new life-anticipating dramatic changes of body and mind; b) Negotiating the system and playing the waiting game; c) A means to an end-managing the pre-operative diet; and d) Managing the attitudes of others. Posters described the process of bariatric surgery as a journey, riddled with roadblocks, setbacks and trials, but also with joy and expectations of a new life. CONCLUSION:Professionals who encounter this group should be aware of their need for support throughout the process, and investigate the possibility of both pre- and postoperative support groups, either online or face-to-face. The results also show that the posters on the forum had very high, and often unrealistic, expectations on how the surgery would change their lives. It is important for those who encounter this group before surgery to be aware of this tendency and to take measures to ensure that patients undergo the surgery with realistic expectations

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the 9-Item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in a multi-occupational female sample: a cross-sectional study

Objective: The aim of the present study was to use exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to investigate the factorial structure of the 9-item Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-9) in a multi-occupational female sample. Methods: A total of 702 women, originally recruited as a general population of 7–15-year-old girls in 1995 for a longitudinal study, completed the UWES-9. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on half the sample, and CFA on the other half. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed that a one-factor structure best fit the data. CFA with three different models (one-factor, two-factor, and three-factor) was then conducted. Goodness-of-fit statistics showed poor fit for all three models, with RMSEA never going lower than 0.166. Conclusion: Despite indication from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) that a one-factor structure seemed to fit the data, we were unable to find good model fit for a one-, two-, or three-factor model using CFA. As previous studies have also failed to reach conclusive results on the optimal factor structure for the UWES-9, further research is needed in order to disentangle the possible effects of gender, nationality and occupation on work engagement

An exploratory analysis of work engagement among women with and without disordered eating

Background Around 10% of the female population is estimated to have a subclinical eating disorder. Many of these women are of working age. Previous research has shown associations between unhealthy eating behaviors and occupational stress or burnout. However, no previous study has explored the association between disordered eating and work engagement, a positive, fulfilling, affective-cognitive state of mind which has been positioned as the conceptual opposite of burnout. Thus, that was the aim of the present study. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 701 Swedish women completed the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). They were divided into a Healthy Eating (HE) and a Disordered Eating (DE) group based on their EDE-Q scores. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test the association between disordered eating and work engagement. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to assess the associations between educational level, marital status and age group, and work engagement. Results Neither the UWES scores nor the EDE-Q scores were found to have a normal distribution. Non-parametric testing showed that the DE group reported significantly lower work engagement than the HE group (p = 0.016). There were no significant associations between education, marital status or age (independent variables) and work engagement (dependent variable) (p = 0.826, 0.309, and 0.349, respectively). Conclusion These findings indicate that work engagement may play a role in disordered eating, and that there is a need for future research to consider the workplace environment as a potential source for altering disordered eating behaviors

Nursing Students' Self-rated Nurse Professional Competence at the End of an International Collaborative Education Program and Follow-up 1 Year Later

Background: International collaborative programs and student active learning are encouraged; yet, little is known about them. Purpose: To compare nursing students' self-rated nurse professional competence (NPC) and general self-efficacy between those enrolled in an international collaborative program, which focused on student active learning, and those enrolled in a traditional lecture-based program at the end of graduation and 1 year later. Methods: This prospective comparative study distributed a questionnaire to 137 nursing students enrolled in the 2 bachelor-level programs at a university in southeastern China. Results: At the end of graduation, students enrolled in the international collaborative program reported higher scores for NPC factors, medical and technical care and general self-efficacy, than those enrolled in the traditional lecture-based program. One year later, they reported higher scores for total NPC, value-based nursing care, medical and technical care, care pedagogics, documentation and administration of nursing care, and general self-efficacy than others. Conclusion: This study found that the nursing students enrolled in the international collaborative program reported higher self-rated competence

Four years’ follow-up changes of physical activity and sedentary time in women undergoing roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and appurtenant children

Abstract Background Objectively measured levels of physical activity (PA) in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery remain essentially unchanged from before to one year after surgery. Effects from RYGB on objectively measured levels of PA among women undergoing RYGB and appurtenant children beyond one year post-surgery are unknown. The aim of the present study was to objectively assess longitudinal changes in PA and sedentary time (ST), among women undergoing RYGB and appurtenant children, from three months before to nine and 48 months after maternal surgery. Methods Thirty women undergoing RYGB and 40 children provided anthropometric measures during home visits and valid accelerometer assessed (Actigraph GT3X+) PA data, three months before and nine and 48 months after maternal RYGB surgery. Results Women undergoing RYGB decreased time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) with 2.0 min/day (p = 0.65) and increased ST with 14.4 min/day (p = 0.35), whereas their children decreased time spent in MVPA with 13.2 min/day (p = 0.04) and increased ST with 110.5 min/day (p < 0.001), from three months before to 48 months after maternal surgery. Twenty, 27 and 33% of women, and 60, 68 and 35% of children reached current PA guidelines three months before and nine and 48 months after maternal RYGB, respectively. Conclusions Objectively measured PA in women remains unchanged, while appurtenant children decrease time spent in MVPA and increase ST, from three months before through nine and 48 months after maternal RYGB. The majority of both women undergoing RYGB and children are insufficiently active 48 months after maternal RYGB

Accelerometer-measured versus selfreported physical activity levels in women before and up to 48months after Roux-enY Gastric Bypass

Background: Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) patients overestimate their time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to a greater extent post-surgery than pre-surgery. However, there is no data on discrepancy between self-reported and accelerometer-measured MVPA beyond nine months post-RYGB. The aim was to investigate how the duration of MVPA (main outcome) differs when comparing a self-administered questionnaire to accelerometer-data from pre-surgery and up to 48months post-RYGB. Methods: Twenty-six (38%) RYGB-treated women with complete data from the original cohort (N=69) were included. Participants were recruited from five Swedish hospitals. Mean pre-surgery BMI was 38.9 (standard deviation (SD)=3.4) kg/m2 and mean age 39.9 (SD=6.5) years. MVPA was subjectively measured by a selfadministered questionnaire and objectively measured by the ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer at 3months pre-RYGB and 9- and 48months post-RYGB. Means and SD were calculated at 3months pre- and 9- and 48months postRYGB. We calculated the P-values of the differences with Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. For correlations between the self-administered questionnaire and the accelerometers, Spearman’s rank correlation was used. Results: Participants significantly overestimated (i.e. self-reported more time spent in MVPA compared to accelerometry) their MVPA in a higher degree post- compared to pre-RYGB surgery. Compared to pre-surgery, selfreported MVPA increased with 46.9 and 36.5% from pre- to 9- and 48months, respectively, whereas changes were a 6.1% increase and 3.5% decrease with accelerometers. Correlations between self-reported and accelerometermeasured MVPA-assessments were poor at all measurement points (r=0.21–0.42) and only significant at 48months post-RYGB (P=0.032). Conclusions: The discrepancy between self-reported and objectively assessed MVPA within the same individual is greater up to 48months post-RYGB compared to before surgery. To help bariatric patients understand and hopefully increase their physical activity behaviors post-surgery, objective measures of physical activity should be used

Meeting physical activity recommendations is associated with health-related quality of life in women before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

PURPOSE: Meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations is positively associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but it is still unclear whether PA (specifically objectively measured) is associated with HRQoL in bariatric surgery candidates, both before and after surgery. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between meeting objectively measured PA recommendations and HRQoL before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. METHODS: Sixty-six women undergoing RYGB with pre-surgery and 62 women with post-surgery valid PA and HRQoL data were included from the control group of a RCT study aiming at improving HRQoL and PA post-RYGB surgery. Measures before and 12 months after RYGB included the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and objectively measured PA, sedentary time (ST), and step counts with GT3X+ accelerometers. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between PA and HRQoL. RESULTS: Participants who engaged in more than 150 min of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA)/week (PA recommendations) had considerably higher SF-36 scores (HRQoL) than those who did not, both pre and 12-month post-surgery, with greatest difference in the subscale bodily pain, 15.5 (p = 0.021) higher score (higher scores means less pain) pre-surgery and a 19.7 (p = 0.004) higher score post-surgery. Higher LPA and step counts and lower ST also showed positive associations in some of the subscales of SF-36. CONCLUSIONS: Meeting the PA recommendations and overall engaging in more PA was associated with higher HRQoL, pre-, and post-RYGB surgery, highlighting the importance of PA both pre- and post-surgery

An eHealth program versus a standard care supervised health program and associated health outcomes in individuals with mobility disability : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Young adults with mobility disability (MD) are less likely to engage in regular physical activity (PA) compared with their able-bodied peers and inactive adults with a MD are more likely to report one or more chronic diseases compared to those who are physically active. Despite the vast amount of research published in the field of PA interventions over the past decades, little attention has been focused on interventions aiming to increase PA among individuals with MD. Thus, we propose to compare the effects of an eHealth program compared to a usual care supervised health program on levels of PA and other health behaviors.  Methods: The current intervention will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with two treatment groups (an eHealth program and a usual care supervised health program) in young adults with newly acquired MD. In total, 110 young adults (aged 18-40 years) with a MD, acquired within the past 3 years, will be recruited to participate in a 12-week intervention. The primary study outcome is accelerometer-measured time spent in moderate to vigorous PA. Secondary outcomes includes health-related quality of life, depression, stress, fitness, body composition, diet, musculoskeletal pain, motivation to exercise and work ability. Discussion: There is a lack of RCTs investigating effective ways to increase levels of PA in young adults with MD. Increased levels of PA among this physically inactive population have the potential to substantially improve health-related outcomes, possibly more so than in the general population. The trial will put strong emphasis on optimizing exercise adherence and investigating feasibility in the two treatment programs. The Ethical Review Board (EPN) at Karolinska Institutet has approved the study (2017/1206-31/1)