Evaluation of appetite control, hedonic fasting status and diet quality of individuals after bariatric surgery

The aim of this study is to evaluate the appetite control, hedonic hunger status and diet quality of individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery. 50 patients (42 female, 8 male) aged 18-64 years who were followed up for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 4 years after bariatric surgery at Gaziantep Anıl Özmutlu Private General Surgery Clinic were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, nutritional habits, bariatric surgery types and health status of the individuals participating in the study were questioned with a questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements of the individuals were taken by the researcher and preoperative body weights were recorded from the patient follow-up file. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form was applied to determine the physical activity status of the individuals participating in the study. Nutritional status was evaluated with 24-hour food consumption records taken retrospectively for 3 consecutive days from the individuals and Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) scores were calculated. In addition, the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EAQ) and Food Power Scale (PFS) were applied to determine the individuals' hedonic hunger states and appetite control. When the pre-operative and current averages of the individuals' body weight and BMI values were compared, a significant decrease was found in both values after surgery (p<0.05). In each group of BMI classification, negative EAQ scores were found to be higher than positive EAQ scores (p>0.05). The BMI score of men was found to be significantly higher than that of women (p˂0.05). When energy and nutrient intakes were examined, the percentages of energy coming from carbohydrates, protein and fat were found to be higher in men than in women (p>0.05). When micronutrient intakes were examined, a significant difference was found in vitamin E (mg), thiamine (mg), riboflavin (mg), iron (mg), zinc (mg), calcium (mg), phosphorus (mg), sodium (g) and magnesium (mg) intakes, and men's intakes were found to be higher (p<0.05). When the Total Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) scores were evaluated, it was seen that women had higher scores than men, but this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In order to prevent patients from regaining body weight in the future after bariatric surgery, it is very important to provide appetite control after surgery, to gain healthy eating habits and to improve the quality of nutrition in this patient group. Therefore, with a multidisciplinary approach; patients should be educated and informed before and after surgery, and individuals should be helped to make changes in their lifestyle after surgery.