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. Results The level of self-management was better in the study group than in the comparison group. The hierarchical regression model showed that in the study group, the control variables contributed negligibly to self-management (step 1), while all independent variables contributed the most (27%) to the explained variance (31%) in self-management (step 2). In the comparison group, the contribution of the control variables was 11.5% of the explained variance, with only lower duration of time since surgery being related to higher self-management (step 1). The independent variables contributed significantly — an additional 14.5% to the explained variance (step 2). Emotional eating was the sole variable related to self-management. Conclusion The findings emphasize the importance of encouraging patients after bariatric surgery to participate in support groups, as the skills acquired in these groups strengthen the capacity to manage self-care. Graphical abstract