Brief Report: Bariatric Surgery Patients’ Communication and Engagement in Activities with Their Children

Children witness parental weight loss from bariatric surgery; however, little is understood about parental engagement and communication with children about weight loss. The purpose of this study is to explore parental engagement in activities and communication about weight loss with children during...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Obesity surgery 2020-08, Vol.30 (8), p.3242-3246
Main Authors: Kiser, Haley, Pratt, Keeley, Van Fossen, Catherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Bariatric Surgery
Body Mass Index
Brief Communication
Child
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Communication
Gastrointestinal surgery
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Obesity, Morbid - surgery
Overweight
Parents
Parents & parenting
Surgery
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Children witness parental weight loss from bariatric surgery; however, little is understood about parental engagement and communication with children about weight loss. The purpose of this study is to explore parental engagement in activities and communication about weight loss with children during the bariatric surgery process. Seventy-two pre- or post-surgery parents, living with a child 2–25- years- old, were surveyed using a questionnaire to assess engagement in social and physical activities and communication with children about weight loss, and the Social Support for Exercise and Eating Habits Survey. Multivariate logistic regression determined correlates of engagement and communication, with covariates: child age and perceived weight status, surgery status, and social support. Family discouragement for making eating habit change was associated with an increased odds [OR = 1.21 (CI 1.03, 1.41)] of parents endorsing their weight held them back from social activities. Parents with older children [OR = .88 (CI .78, 1.00)] and children perceived to have overweight/obesity [OR = .18 (CI .03, .96)], and who were post-surgery [OR = 4.78 (CI 1.05, 21.88)] had increased odds of discussing losing weight with their child. The results of this study suggest parents are communicating with their children about weight loss, though more often with older and overweight/obese children.
ISSN:0960-8923
1708-0428
DOI:10.1007/s11695-020-04562-9