Comparison of dietary habits and plans for dietary changes in black and white women seeking bariatric surgery

Abstract

Background: Achieving weight loss after bariatric surgery depends on the individual's ability to sustain lifestyle changes involving dietary modifications. Presurgical dietary assessment is critical to evaluate usual dietary habits and identify the need for intervention before surgery.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify usual dietary habits of black and white women seeking bariatric surgery and to examine potential differences between these ethnic groups. An additional aim was to describe participants' plans to change dietary behaviors after surgery.

Setting: This study examined data from an observational study sponsored by a benefits management group in Louisiana.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a presurgical dietary assessment interview questionnaire collected information on dietary habits. Participants (n = 200) were adult women being screened for bariatric surgery; 54% were white, and 46% were black. Descriptive statistics were calculated and differences between groups were tested using 2-way analysis of the variance.

Results: Participants reported consuming fast food 2.9 ± 2.6 times per week, fried foods 2.1 ± 1.8 times per week, and desserts 3.4 ± 3.2 times per week. Blacks reported more frequent consumption of fast food (P<.01), sugar-sweetened sodas (P<.05), and sugar-sweetened tea (P<.01) compared with whites. Plans for changing dietary behaviors after surgery were similar between ethnic groups.

Conclusions: Findings indicated that frequent consumption of fast foods, fried foods, desserts, and sugar-sweetened beverages was common among women seeking bariatric surgery. Blacks tended to consume these foods and beverages more often than whites. Current dietary habits and future plans to change dietary behaviors should be addressed before surgery for success. Follow-up studies investigating the assessment instrument's ability to predict dietary adherence and weight loss after surgery are warranted.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Dietary assessment; Dietary habits; Nutrition; Obesity.