Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Physical activity (PA) is considered essential for the treatment of morbid obesity and the optimization of bariatric surgery outcomes. The objective of this article was to identify the facilitators and barriers that bariatric patients perceived to do PA one year after finishing a PA programme for the promotion of a long-term active lifestyle. This objective was addressed from a socio-ecological and qualitative perspective. Methods: Nine patients (eight women and one man), aged between 31 and 59 years, participated in semi-structured interviews directly following the PA programme and one year after it. A content analysis was carried out to analyze the qualitative data. Results: Weight loss, improvement of physical fitness, perceived competence, and enjoyment were the main facilitators of PA. Complexes related to skin folds, osteoarthritis, perceived unfavourable weather conditions, lack of social support and economic resources, long workdays, lack of specific PA programmes, and other passive leisure preferences were the main barriers to participate in PA. Conclusions: Results highlight the important interplay between personal, social environmental, and physical environmental factors to explain (in)active behaviours of bariatric patients. The findings of this article could be useful for future research and interventions aimed at promoting PA in bariatric patients.
Highlights
After the inefficacy of non-invasive methods for the treatment of morbid obesity, bariatric surgery has been shown to be an effective treatment option for long-term weight loss, improving medical comorbidities and psychological and social functioning after surgery (White et al, 2015)
Three main categories derived from our content analysis: 1) Bariatric patients’ intention of participating in physical activity (PA) just after the PA programme; 2) Facilitators to PA one year after the end of the PA programme; and 3) Barriers to PA one year after the end of the PA programme
Just after the PA programme, all bariatric patients who participated in this study reported their intention of engaging in PA in the future: Telma: I’m sure that exercise will be part of my life
Summary
After the inefficacy of non-invasive methods for the treatment of morbid obesity, bariatric surgery has been shown to be an effective treatment option for long-term weight loss, improving medical comorbidities and psychological and social functioning after surgery (White et al, 2015). PA has been found to be a determinant of the long-term maintenance of weight loss after surgery (Moya et al, 2014), avoiding weight regain and the return of comorbidities associated with this condition (Sjöström et al, 2004). It is an important contributor to the prevention or treatment of psychological disorders such as depression or anxiety, and it is associated with improved quality of life after surgery (Jiménez-Loaisa, Beltrán-Carrillo, GonzálezCutre, & Cervelló, 2015)
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