Testing a model of body image in the bariatric surgery patient.

Purpose: The purpose was to test a published model of body image in the bariatric surgery patient in the clinical office setting.

Background: A model was created based on clinical observations during field work and the literature. It focuses on five concepts of body image: body attitude, body checking, appearance orientation, perceived body size, and perceived body space.

Conceptualization of body image in the bariatric surgery patient.

Bariatric (weight loss) surgery is more popular than ever. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in 2016 reported that 216,000 bariatric procedures were performed in the United States. Bariatric surgery has major physiological benefits; its use is expected to increase globally.