Place Work on a Scale: What Do We Know About the Association Between Employment Status and Weight Loss Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery?

Abstract

Despite the initial successful weight loss after bariatric surgery, a significant amount of patients experience weight loss failure and weight regain. Several factors are known to contribute to this, though the impact of employment status is unknown. The objective of this systematic review was to examine the impact of employment status on post-surgical weight loss outcomes. Eight studies were included with a follow-up ranging between 2 and 10 years. Employed patients seemed to present more weight loss (9.0–11.0% EWL, 1.3–1.6% BMI loss) compared to unemployed patients, but none of these numbers were statistically significant. Moreover, there were contrasting findings in terms of weight regain. This review may highlight the importance of working status after bariatric surgery and warrants further investigation on this topic. Graphical abstract

Weight Loss Failure Post-Bariatric Surgery

“…Some studies suggest that higher weight loss before surgery is associated with a lower weight loss failure rate. In contrast, others find no significant effect between preoperative weight loss and weight loss failure (55). No correlation between WR and race has been shown in four studies (59).…”

“…The diminished effectiveness of bariatric surgery in older patients regarding weight loss may be attributed to factors such as decreased metabolism, higher prevalence of sarcopenia, and a longer duration for comorbidities to impact the physical condition of patients (54). Social demographic factors, such as being single, having a low socio-economic status, working in foodrelated jobs, lacking full-time employment, and having low education, can influence the likelihood of weight loss failure following bariatric surgery (55,47,56).…”

“…Underlying comorbidities, including diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and elevated levels of serum HbA1c and triglycerides, are recognized as risk factors for weight loss failure (55,47,60).…”