Body image in obese patients before and after stable weight reduction following bariatric surgery

The role of possessing an abnormal body weight in the body image alteration s of obese patients was evaluated in bariatric surgery subjects prior to an d at long term after operation, when body weight and shape had become stead ily normalized. Body image was assessed by the body dissatisfaction scale o f the Eating Disorders Inventory, the Body Shape Questionnaire, and the Bod y Attitude Questionnaire. When the individuals were obese, a sharply impair ed body image was observed; following operation, weight loss corresponded t o normalization of body dissatisfaction, feeling of fatness, and physical a ttractiveness, whereas body disparagement and salience of shape, although i mproved in comparison to preoperative data, remained significantly differen t from that of controls. In the obese patients, some aspects of body image alterations are substantially accounted for by overweight status; other asp ects reflect inner feelings, which are partially independent of the actual body weight and shape. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.