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A Qualitative Examination of Increased Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Young Adults

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Abstract

Introduction

Mounting evidence suggests that bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery (WLS), patients might be vulnerable to developing post-operative alcohol use problems. While the majority of published research offers information concerning the prevalence of problematic alcohol use post-WLS, the literature lacks comprehensive, qualitative explorations examining why alcohol misuse might emerge after WLS. Such data-driven hypotheses are needed to effectively target this emerging concern. Additionally, young adults and racial/ethnic minorities are both increasingly undergoing WLS and are at heightened risk for problems related to alcohol use. To date, these groups have been under-represented in study samples.

Methods

To address these important gaps in the literature, racially/ethnically diverse, young adult WLS patients who indicated a post-WLS increase in alcohol use (n = 12) participated in an individual, semi-structured qualitative interview. Data were analyzed through two coding cycles; an external audit of the emerging themes was also conducted to further ensure the trustworthiness of the data.

Results

Interviews revealed four major themes prompting an increase in alcohol use after WLS: (1) increased sensitivity to alcohol intoxication, (2) utilizing alcohol as a replacement self-soothing mechanism for food, (3) increase in socialization, and (4) utilizing alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Conclusions

By understanding the drivers of increases in alcohol use after WLS, precision-targeted pre- and post-surgical counseling interventions can be developed to address this emerging concern.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Geoffrey Hunt PhD, Suzanne Bertisch MD MPH, Rebecca Rottapel MS MPH, and Susan Redline MD MPH for their feedback on this manuscript. The authors also are grateful for the participants who generously shared their post-WLS experiences, without whom this article would not be possible.

Funding Support

This study was funded by the Micah Batchelor Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Christine E. Spadola

  2. Banyan Research Institute for Dissemination, Grants and Evaluation, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Eric F. Wagner

  3. District of Columbia Department of Health, Washington, DC, USA

    Leah M. Varga

  4. Department of Anthropology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA

    Jennifer L. Syvertsen

  5. Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Nestor F. De La Cruz Munoz

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Sarah E. Messiah

Authors
  1. Christine E. Spadola
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  2. Eric F. Wagner
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  3. Leah M. Varga
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  4. Jennifer L. Syvertsen
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  5. Nestor F. De La Cruz Munoz
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  6. Sarah E. Messiah
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christine E. Spadola.

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The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Spadola, C.E., Wagner, E.F., Varga, L.M. et al. A Qualitative Examination of Increased Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Young Adults. OBES SURG 28, 1492–1497 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-017-3022-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-017-3022-x

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