RESEARCH ARTICLE Surgically and Conservatively Treated Obese Patients Differ in Psychological Factors, Regardless of Body Mass Index or Obesity- Related Co-Morbidities: A Comparison between Groups and an Analysis of Predictors

Objective For the treatment of obesity, both conservative and surgical procedures are available. Psy-chological factors are likely to influence the choice of treatment; however, to date, systemat-ic studies that investigate these factors are few in number. The aim of our study was to analyze whether patients who undergo a surgical treatment differ from those who require a conservative treatment in regard to psychological factors, regardless of their somatic condi-tions. Furthermore, predictors of treatment choice will be examined. Methods A total of 244 patients (189 women), with a mean body mass index of 45.1 kg/m2, underwent a weight reduction treatment, with 126 patients undergoing bariatric surgery and 118 pa-tients participating in a conservative, multimodal outpatient weight reduction program. Dif-ferences in the results of the psychological questionnaires between conservatively and surgically treated patients were evaluated through the use of t-tests, χ2-tests and an ANCOVA. For the analysis of the predictors, logistic regression models were calculated