The Bariatric Experience Long Term (BELONG): Factors Related to Having Bariatric Surgery in a Large Integrated Healthcare System

Purpose Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for severe obesity, but currently, only 1–2% of all eligible patients undergo surgery each year. This study examined which factors were associated with a patient receiving bariatric surgery after referral in a real-world healthcare setting. Materials and Methods The current study used the baseline survey and electronic medical record (EMR) data from the Bariatric Experience Long Term (BELONG) study ( n = 1975). Predictors of who did ( n = 1680) and who did not ( n = 295) have surgery were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results Participants ( n = 1975; 42.4% response rate) were primarily women (84%) and either non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic (60%). In the fully adjusted multivariate model, the strongest predictors of having surgery were being a woman (OR = 3.17; 95% CI = 2.15, 4.68; p