The impact of weight loss after bariatric surgeries on the patient's body image, quality of life, and self-esteem

Objectives: The objective of this web-based study is to analyze the attributes of bariatric surgery cases ensuing health implications. Additionally, the study seeks to delve into the factors influencing post-bariatric psychological evaluations and the impact of various bariatric surgeries on weight loss and psycho-social assessment scores for patients who had undergone bariatric surgeries within a specific bariatric surgery center in Egypt between January 2017 and January 2024.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study recruited 411 adults who had undergone different bariatric procedures by the same surgical team. We collected the data using a validated self-administered questionnaire that included the Body Image Scale (BIS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the quality-of-life score (QOLS), and the modified General Patient Satisfaction Score after Bariatric Surgeries (GSABS).

Results: The most commonly performed bariatric surgery was sleeve gastrectomy (SG), accounting for 82.7% of the procedures. The majority of the patients (78%) were female, with a mean age of 35.8. Among the participants, 32.4% reported experiencing complications, and 21.2% of those individuals were still experiencing complications at the time of assessment. The BIS had a mean score of 16.54 ± 6.27, indicating an average body image perception. The RSES yielded a mean score of 20.11 ± 4.63, indicating average self-esteem, while the GSABS had a mean score of 8.08 ± 2.39, indicating an overall average level of patient satisfaction. No statistically significant differences were found between the various types of bariatric surgeries in terms of total body weight loss percentage, excess body weight loss percentage, or the timing of the intervention. However, increased time intervals from surgeries noted a significant reduction in the BIS.

Conclusion: The majority of patients who underwent SG and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgeries exhibited high GSABS scores. SG patients also had high BIS scores. However, all other interventions showed normal GSABS and BIS scores. All types of surgeries resulted in normal RSES and QOLS. Furthermore, the BIS score increases with the intervention's recentness, but it significantly decreases after the second-year post-surgery. Conversely, the older the timing of the intervention, the higher the RSES score after surgery.