Abstract
The prevalence of obesity in the United States has more than doubled from 1980 to 2008. Obesity leads to a multitude of comorbidities, most notably diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, resulting in more than $147 billion annually in healthcare costs. Bariatric surgery is becoming a common weight loss option for morbidly obese individuals. Studies in this review examine patients who have undergone laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Patients initially lose large amounts of weight postoperatively; unfortunately, around 30% of these individuals begin to regain weight 18-24 months after surgery. The purpose of this article is to analyze the current literature to ascertain which self-care variables are predictors of successful long-term weight loss after bariatric surgery. The studies analyzed in this review found that patients who undergo a surgical weight loss intervention lose more weight faster than patients who do not have a surgical weight loss intervention. However, patients reported feeling unprepared for the extreme psychosocial and lifestyle changes after bariatric surgery. Findings from these studies point to the need for future research in the area of postsurgical psychosocial support for successful long-term weight loss maintenance.