Children's weight status, body esteem, and self-concept after maternal gastric bypass surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Bariatric Surgery Outcomes
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Limited research exists on the impact of maternal Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on offspring weight and psychosocial well-being.
• This study addresses the knowledge gap by examining children's weight status, body esteem, and self-concept post-maternal RYGB.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of maternal RYGB on children's weight status.
• To assess changes in children's body esteem and self-concept following maternal RYGB.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-nine families with mothers on RYGB waiting lists were recruited.
• Data, including anthropometric measures and self-report questionnaires (Body Esteem Scale, Beck Self-Concept Inventory), were collected 3 months pre- and 12 months post-surgery.
• Poisson regression models were used to analyze weight status changes.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant decrease in the risk of overweight was observed in children (57.0% to 48.6%, RR=0.85, P=0.048).
• No significant decrease in obesity risk was found (18.2% to 15.9%, RR=0.87, P=0.447).
• Boys showed a slight improvement in body esteem, while girls did not; no significant changes in self-concept scores were noted.

Conclusions:

• The observed reduction in overweight risk warrants further investigation, potentially requiring larger sample sizes to detect changes in obesity risk.
• Maternal RYGB may have a modest positive effect on boys' body esteem approximately 9 months post-surgery.
• Future research should include longer follow-up periods and larger cohorts to confirm these findings.