title: Examining Nutrition Knowledge of Bariatric Surgery Patients: What Happens to Dietary Knowledge over Time?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nutrition education is a standard of care in bariatric surgery clinical practice guidelines. Despite its known importance, no studies have documented the trajectory of nutrition knowledge over the course of the bariatric surgery process. Primary objectives included determining changes in bariatric surgery nutrition knowledge scores from the pre-surgical phase to 1-month post-surgical intervention and investigating the impact of time on nutrition education retention in bariatric patients. Secondary objectives focused on the relationship between patients' pre-operative anxiety and depression on nutrition knowledge retention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prior to data collection, patients attended a nutrition education class and met with a registered dietitian. One hundred and nineteen consented patients eligible for bariatric surgery completed a nutrition knowledge questionnaire, Eating After Bariatric Surgery (EABS) prior to and 1 month following bariatric surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses revealed (1) patients' nutrition knowledge (measured by EABS) significantly increased from the pre-operative phase (M = 46.9; SD = 14.4) to the post-operative phase ((M = 56.9; SD = 14.1), t(118) = -8.01, p < .001); (2) time between the nutrition education class and patients' surgery significantly impacted knowledge retained; (3) patients with higher pre-operative levels of depression and anxiety had significantly lower post-operative nutrition knowledge; and (4) gender differences in terms of patients' nutrition knowledge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirmed that dietary knowledge significantly improves following surgical intervention. Furthermore, increased time in between receiving nutrition knowledge and surgery resulted in less retained knowledge 1-month post-op. Future education interventions for bariatric surgery programs should focus on addressing these factors to optimize patient knowledge and information retention after surgery.
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. marlene.taube-schiff@uhn.ca.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. marlene.taube-schiff@uhn.ca.
authors: Marlene
authors: M
authors: Taube-Schiff
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Chaparro
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Lorraine
authors: L
authors: Gougeon
authors: Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Sharry
authors: S
authors: Shakory
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Mary
authors: M
authors: Weiland
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Warwick
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Carolyn
authors: C
authors: Plummer
authors: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors: Sanjeev
authors: S
authors: Sockalingam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D003376:Counseling; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Anxiety; Bariatric surgery; Depression; Education; Nutrition