Association Between the Predominant Domain of Eating Behavior and Perception of Distortion and Satisfaction with Body Image in People Who Underwent Bariatric Surgery in Brazil.

Abstract

Background and aims: Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for weight loss and improvement of associated comorbidities. However, some factors could negatively influence favorable results after surgery. This paper aimed to identify whether there is an association between the predominant domain of eating behavior and perception of distortion of and satisfaction with body image in people who underwent bariatric surgery in Brazil.

Materials and methods: To this end, we carried out a cross-sectional, quantitative, analytical study with a convenience sample and with data collected through online questionnaires available on Google Forms™.

Results: There was a higher frequency for females. Cognitive restriction was the predominant eating behavior domain. We found an association between body image distortion and cognitive restriction (p = 0.001) and between body image distortion and emotional eating (p = 0.001).

Conclusions: The results elucidated the importance of researching eating behavior and body image in people who have had bariatric surgery. New prospective studies should be encouraged to understand the cause-effect relationship between eating behavior and body image.