Post-Bariatric Surgery Patients: A Quality of Life Assessment in Saudi Arabia

Background Bariatric surgery has emerged as the most successful and long-lasting treatment for weight loss because of its effect on losing weight, diminution or elimination of sedentary lifestyle-related comorbidities, and a concomitant decrease in mortality and healthcare expenditures. Understanding its effects on the quality of life of patients is a crucial aspect of treatment. This study aims to assess the quality of life and its associated factors following bariatric surgery in Saudi Arabia. Methodology In this cross-sectional study, 400 adult patients who had undergone bariatric surgery were recruited from different regions in Saudi Arabia between December 2021 and February 2022. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Of the 400 participants, 160 (40%) were males and 240 (60%) were females. The average weight of the participants before surgery was 113.9 ± 18.7 kg (range = 84-146 kg) and after surgery was 84.8 ± 18.3 kg (range = 58-138 kg). The average quality of life score was -0.13 ± 2.0 (range = -3-3). Most of the participants (35%) had a fair quality of life, 25% had very poor quality, 20% had very good quality, 15% had good quality, and 5% had poor quality of life. A statistically significant association (p < 0.001) was found with the following factors: gender, age, nationality, educational level, marital status, and history of chronic diseases. Conclusions Quality of life following bariatric surgery was mostly reported to be fair or average. Several sociodemographic factors were found to be associated with the reported quality of life including age, gender, nationality, educational level, marital status, and history of chronic disease or comorbidities.