Self-management After Bariatric Surgery: a Comparison Between Support Group Participants and Patients Receiving Individual Dietary Follow-Up.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare self-management after bariatric surgery between support group participants (the study group) and patients receiving only individual follow-up by a dietitian (the comparison group), and to examine the differences between the two groups regarding the associations of cognitive and emotional factors with self-management.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among bariatric patients who either participated in bariatric support groups during the years 2018-2020 or received only individual follow-up with a dietitian since their surgery. The structured questionnaire included a self-management questionnaire, cognitive variables (eating self-efficacy, eating awareness as independent variables, weight control motivation) and emotional variables (positive and negative affect, emotional eating), and background control variables.

Participating in Bariatric Support Groups: the Effects on Self-management Changes.

Background: This study focused on changes in self-management as the main outcome of participation in bariatric psychoeducational support groups. We assessed the contribution of changes in cognitive and emotional variables to improved self-management among 155 participants.

Method: Data for this longitudinal study were collected at the beginning (time 1) and at the end (time 2) of the support groups' 10-session program.