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Bariatric surgery as prophylaxis: an emerging protection discourse

Social Theory & Health volume 19, pages 282–297 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

As the medicalization of ‘‘obesity’’ has become more formalized, bariatric surgery is taking on new meaning in both medicine and society. Through repeated qualitative interviews (3 interviews every 3 to 5 months) and deploying interpretative phenomenological analysis, we examine the discourses and perceptions of patients post-bariatric surgery (n = 15). Results suggest participants’ perceive bariatric surgery not as a cure, but a tool, alleviant, prophylaxis and suppressant. The findings highlight that responsibility for a healthy future is constructed as a matter of individual responsibility and pressing concern.

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Notes

  1. We use the term fat in keeping with fat acceptance communities who seek to reclaim these terms as neutral descriptors and not in a pejorative sense (Meadows and Daníelsdóttir 2016). ‘‘obesity’’ is presented in quotes to acknowledge the contested meanings of this word and its political implications. For readability, quotes are used only for initial usage.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank participants, Hannah Reagan for flyer design and Dr. Anna Kirkland for insightful conversation.

Funding

Faculty Research and Creative Endeavors Committee (FRCE), Central Michigan University, Type B Research Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada

    Andrea E. Bombak

  2. School of Health Sciences, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA

    Andrea E. Bombak, Jackson H. Bensley, Leah J. Markel & Katherine Hughes

  3. College of Communication and Information Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA

    Nicholas Eckhart

  4. Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada

    Erin Cameron

Authors
  1. Andrea E. Bombak
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  2. Nicholas Eckhart
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Correspondence to Andrea E. Bombak.

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Bombak, A.E., Eckhart, N., Bensley, J.H. et al. Bariatric surgery as prophylaxis: an emerging protection discourse. Soc Theory Health 19, 282–297 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-019-00121-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-019-00121-0

Keywords

  • Bariatric surgery
  • Critical weight studies
  • Fatness
  • Medicalization
  • Risk
  • Stigma