Abstract
Objective: To examine the relationship between emotional well-being, patient activation and social support in a cohort of adults with severe obesity who underwent gastric bypass surgery from January to December 2012. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Subjects: Of a total population of 129 people, aged 18 - 68 years, at a local hospital in central Norway, 64 (50%) responding to the questionnaire, 52 (81%) being women. Main Outcome Measures: The World Health Organization—Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13), a 16-item instrument on the frequency and content of social support, and demographic and clinical data. Results: A significant positive association was found between higher level of patient activation and better emotional well-being (P = 0.02) in linear regression analysis. A higher level of family support was significantly associated with better emotional well-being (practical social support from the family (P = 0.04), emotional social support from family (P = 0.01) and from friends (P = 0.005)). Conclusion: Screening tools for emotional well-being should be used systematically in postoperative consultations to recognize those who need a more individually tailored post-surgery follow-up care after gastric bypass surgery. In addition, health care providers in both specialist and primary health care settings should consider assessing the level of social support as part of regular follow-up routines.
Highlights
Worldwide, severe obesity is one of the most challenging diseases in the 21st century, already responsible for 10% - 13% of all deaths in some parts in Europe [1]
In linear regression analysis we identified significant relationships between higher degrees of emotional well-being and social support from family (B = 9.75, P = 0.03), patient activation (B = 0.32, P = 0.01) and age (B = 0.55, P = 0.02) (Model 1)
This study examined the relationship between emotional well-being, patient activation and social support
Summary
Severe obesity is one of the most challenging diseases in the 21st century, already responsible for 10% - 13% of all deaths in some parts in Europe [1]. People with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2, with comorbidity or ≥40 kg/m2 with reduced health-related quality of life are usually considered for surgery [2] [3]. Severe obesity is associated with serious health complaints such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, both complex conditions that affect physical, social and emotional health, as well as the perception of quality of life [1] [2]. Several studies have examined the health status and health-related quality of life, before and after bariatric surgery, and found that they improve [3] [5]-[7]. Some interventions have been evaluated using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), which assesses people’s knowledge, skill and confidence in self-managing their health or chronic conditions [8]. People’s engagement in health behavior is strongly related to a broad range of health-related outcomes, and improved activation has great potential [8]
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