Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Despite the usefulness of using theory to underpin analysis, there is a paucity of literature applying this to experiences of gastric banding (GB) surgery. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is useful for exploring beliefs underlying behaviour. The present study uses a TPB framework to explore individuals’ beliefs towards GB both prior to and five years post-surgery.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 individuals (aged 31 to 58 years, 16 female, 19 White, 16 with diabetes) twice: prior to, and five years post-GB. Content analysis was carried out using the TPB constructs as an explicit coding framework to determine salient beliefs pre- and post-GB surgery; while t-tests were used to explore weight loss.

Results: Participants lost a significant amount of weight following GB (P<.001). Prior to GB, salient beliefs included feeling unhappy with current self, experiencing social stigma as a result of being overweight, a good understanding of what GB would do, and both approval and disapproval of GB from family. Five years post-surgery salient beliefs included feeling happy, life improvements, experiencing problems with the band, approval and disapproval of GB from family, and social stigma due to having had GB.

Conclusion: Weight loss does happen following GB, but not all experiences of living with a band are positive. Many individuals experienced problems with their band, which they felt hindered their weight loss. Beliefs identified in this study may need to be considered during clinical consultations and planning future interventions to support individuals with their weight loss following surgery.