Abstract
Obesity results from the interaction between biological, social, and behavioral factors. Often considered a social an moral undesirable imprint, such condition may lead to psychosocial problems arising from prejudice, stigma, and exclusion, affecting the well-being of patients due to feelings of sadness, guilt, anxiety, shame, and social isolation. This study sought to identify psychosocial factors that led young and older adults with obesity to opt for bariatric surgery. The sample consisted of 11 patients, men and women, aged between 20 and 65 years, who lived in Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and submitted to content analysis, resulting in three categories: Food Education; Family and External Support; and Moralization of Obesity, Emotional Issues, and Decisions - Health and Aesthetics. The results reveal that most participants opted for bariatric surgery due to health and aesthetic reasons, being perceived as a strategy that contributes to nutritional education for weight loss, reduces comorbidities, and improves mobility, appearance, and self-esteem, helping the individual to fit to the body standards socially determined, being reintegrated onto social life. Individuals committed to the treatment for obesity also adhere to the multidisciplinary treatment, which seems to contribute to the surgery success regarding well-being. Further empirical studies addressing aesthetics as a reason to undergo bariatric surgery in young and older adults are required.
Keywords:
Bariatric; Obesity; Health; Psychosocial; Age Differences