What is it about?
Weight stigma experienced by patients improves after undergoing bariatric surgery, contributing to better mental health, improved eating behaviors, and lower weight. However, ongoing stigma remains a significant risk for some patients, highlighting the need for considering the role of weight stigma even years after surgery and to develop interventions to enhance quality of life and long-term outcomes. This research suggests that weight stigma may be even more relevant than weight loss in association with mental health and eating behaviors in the years after bariatric surgery.
Featured Image
Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash
Why is it important?
As the landscape of obesity medicine continues to expand with improved treatments, it is critical that we understand what factors influence patient psychosocial experiences. This research suggests the need to move beyond weight and weight loss alone in understanding patient experiences after bariatric surgery and to consider the role of weight stigma in patient psychosocial health.
Perspectives
Weight stigma improves from before to after bariatric surgery but does not disappear and remains relevant for patient mental health, eating behaviors, and weight. The stigma does not end when weight comes off - it matters before surgery, in the change from before to after surgery, and longer term post-operatively. Stigma is pervasive and harmful across outcomes. The conceptual model developed in this manuscript illustrates the likelihood that weight stigma influences all stages of the bariatric surgery patient experience - from the development and exacerbation of severe obesity to the access to and pursuit of surgery to the peri-operative process to long-term health.
Larissa McGarrity
University of Utah
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Weight stigma and bariatric surgery: Prospective improvements, psychological health, and weight., Health Psychology, June 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/hea0001517.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
