A cross-sectional examination of the home food environments ofmothers who have undergone metabolic and bariatric surgery: apilotstudy.

Abstract

Healthful dietary changes after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) may benefit not only patients, but the type and/or availability of foods/beverages in the family home food environment (HFE) overall, thereby reducing obesogenic environmental risks to child offspring in the home. Few studies have investigated the family HFE after MBS. To examine whether the HFE of mothers post-MBS differed from the HFE of mothers of normal weight, overweight, and with obesity using an open home food inventory. Cincinnati, Ohio and Newark, Delaware. Thirty-two mothers with a child (6-12 yr) participated (8 post-MBS, 8 normal weight, 8 overweight, 8 with obesity) in a pilot study. Research personnel recorded all foods and beverages in the home. Per person total energy and servings of fruits, vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages, and energy-dense snack foods in the HFE were examined using 1-way analyses of variance and Cohen's d effect sizes. Mothers in the post-MBS group had significantly fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages available per person compared with mothers with obesity (P = .01). Effect sizes for group differences indicated total energy, sugar-sweetened beverages, and servings of fruits and vegetables were generally medium to large, most with lower mean values for the post-MBS group relative to comparator groups. These findings, while preliminary, highlight areas for future research and add to an emerging literature on obesogenic risks to offspring in the post-MBS home, a known subgroup at high risk for severe obesity.