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The Utility of the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory (WALI) in Predicting 2-Year Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

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Abstract

Background

Emotional eating (EE) has been implicated as an important variable in bariatric surgery and is frequently assessed during preoperative evaluations. Little is known about the association between preoperative EE and postoperative outcomes. This study examined associations between preoperative EE, as measured by the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory, and 2-year postoperative percent weight loss.

Methods

Data collected during preoperative evaluations were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 685 patients completed intake data, with 357 patients (52 %) completing 2-year follow-up measures. The average time from the initial appointment to surgery is 6 months. Preoperative data was collected at approximately month 2 of this 6-month period. Follow-up data was collected during 2-year postoperative follow-up visits.

Results

The average percent of weight lost was 22.93 (SD = 13.62). Analyses indicated that (1) EE was not associated with percent weight loss for the overall sample, (2) EE was not associated with percent weight loss for females, (3) EE in response to positive affect was associated with percent weight loss for males, and (4) the interaction between preoperative depressive symptoms and EE was not associated with percent weight loss for either sex.

Conclusion

While the WALI provides a fruitful means of gathering clinical information, results suggested no association between scores on Section H of the WALI and weight loss. The results suggest that EE may impact surgical outcomes differentially in men as compared to women. Future research should seek to replicate these findings and focus on gender differences related to surgical outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Penn State Harrisburg, W311 Olmsted, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA, USA

    Erin Fink-Miller

  2. Penn State Hershey Surgical Weight Loss Program, Middletown, PA, USA

    Andrea Rigby

Authors
  1. Erin Fink-Miller
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  2. Andrea Rigby
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Correspondence to Erin Fink-Miller.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Fink-Miller, E., Rigby, A. The Utility of the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory (WALI) in Predicting 2-Year Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery. OBES SURG 27, 933–939 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-016-2385-8

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