title: Is age a better predictor of weight loss one year after gastric bypass than symptoms of disordered eating, depression, adult ADHD and alcohol consumption?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Findings regarding psychological risk factors for low weight loss after bariatric surgery have been inconsistent. The association between gender and weight outcome is unclear while younger age has been consistently shown to be associated with better weight outcome. The aim of this study was to analyze the interactions between gender and age on the one hand and symptoms of disordered eating, depression, adult ADHD and alcohol consumption on the other hand in regard to weight loss after gastric bypass.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bariatric surgery patients were recruited and asked to fill out self-report questionnaires regarding behavioral risk factors before and twelve months after surgery. Data from one hundred and twenty-nine patients were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for age, no psychological variable measured prior to surgery could predict weight loss after twelve months. After surgery, there was an interaction effect between age, gender and specific eating disorder symptoms. Specifically, loss of control over eating was a risk factor for low weight loss among older, but not among younger, female participants. Symptoms of adult ADHD were associated with elevated alcohol consumption after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that age and gender may moderate the effects of potential risk factors for inferior weight outcome. This interaction could potentially be one of the reasons behind the mixed findings in this field. Thus, there are important gender differences in the bariatric population that should be considered. The present study is the first to show that symptoms of adult ADHD may not be a risk factor for inferior weight loss but for alcohol risk consumption after gastric bypass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 751 42, Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: sven.alfonsson@psyk.uu.se.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alfonsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Upper Abdominal Surgery, Uppsala University, Akademiska sjukhuset 70, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sundbom
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghaderi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015390:Gastric Bypass; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss
keywords: Adult ADHD; Alcohol; Bariatric surgery; Depression; Disordered eating; Gastric bypass