title: Attitudes towards bariatric surgery in the general public.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prevalence rates of obesity are still rising. Weight loss surgery (WLS) is the most invasive but also most effective treatment option when behavioral modification has failed. Research indicates that health care professionals hold ambivalent views on bariatric surgery, while views of the general public have not yet been investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a German representative sample of n = 3,003 respondents in a computer-assisted telephone interview, n = 1,008 persons were interviewed on their views of the effectiveness of bariatric surgery and other interventions for obesity. Also, willingness to recommend a treatment was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lifestyle-based interventions were viewed as most effective in terms of weight loss. About 50 % of the population stated that WLS is "very effective" while still a quarter of respondents did not ascribe effectiveness to WLS. Higher age was associated with lower expectations of effectiveness while higher stigmatizing attitudes and genetic attributes for obesity were associated with higher expectations of effectiveness. Seventy-two percent would not recommend WLS or undergo it, if applicable, themselves. Higher educated respondents and those that viewed WLS as effective were more likely to recommend WLS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The German general public seems to be rather cautious regarding bariatric surgery. It may be assumed that false beliefs on the effectiveness and risk patterns of bariatric surgery are still very common, despite rising surgery numbers. Our results further emphasize the need for providing evidence-based information on bariatric surgery to the general public.
authors.affiliation: Research Area Bariatric Surgery, IFB Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Center, Stephanstraße 9c, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. Claudia.Sikorski@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sikorski
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luppa
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dame
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brähler
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schütz
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Hans-Helmut
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: Steffi G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Riedel-Heller
mesh_terms: D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000523:psychology*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011639:Public Opinion; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires