Social History of Bariatric Surgery: Relationship to Patient and Associations with Postoperative Outcomes

Purpose There is limited research about the prevalence of patients initiating metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) who also know someone who had MBS, referred to as having a social history of MBS. Evidence about the specific relationship of these individuals to the patient, how having a social history of MBS is associated with patients’ choice of surgical procedure, and how having a social history of MBS is associated with patients’ postoperative outcomes can be used to inform future preoperative assessments. The objective was to (a) define the number of people patients knew who had MBS and relationship to patient, (b) assess congruence between those who had MBS with patients’ procedure selection, and (c) explore associations between social history of MBS and postoperative outcomes. Materials and Methods The sample included 123 patients who had MBS in 2021 (83.7% female; 44.7% Sleeve Gastrectomy, 55.3% Gastric Bypass). For up to 5 people, patients provided their relationship and surgical procedure, and completed the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Bivariate analyses assessed congruence in type of procedure, and social history of MBS with complications, readmissions, and %TWL. Three mixed multilevel models were conducted with (1) close friend, (2) coworker, and (3) close family history of MBS including the FAD on change in %TWL over 12 months with surgical procedure as a covariate. Results Ninety-one percent of patients knew someone who had MBS, average 2.66±1.45. Patients reported a close friend (56.1%), close family member (43.9%), and coworker (19.5%) who had MBS. Patients with a close family member who had MBS and reported healthy vs impaired family functioning had greater %TWL over 12 months ( p =0.016). Patients with a close friend who had MBS had less %TWL ( p =0.015), and patients with a coworker who had MBS had greater %TWL ( p =0.012), which did not change over time. Conclusion Patients with coworkers or close family members with healthy family functioning with a history of MBS had more weight loss, whereas those with close friends with a history of MBS had less weight loss. Graphical abstract