Capsule Commentary on Wee et al., Sex, Race, and Consideration of Bariatric Surgery Among Primary Care Patients with Moderate to Severe Obesity

Excerpt

The number of patients undergoing bariatric surgery is a fraction of those who are eligible, and racial and gender differences exist in rates of bariatric surgery utilization.1 In this study, Wee and colleagues2 examined factors that might contribute to racial and gender differences in the decision to undergo bariatric surgery. They surveyed a diverse sample of over 300 primary care patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35. As anticipated, they found that African Americans and men were less willing to consider bariatric surgery than Caucasians and women, respectively. Interestingly, higher weight-related quality of life among African Americans appeared to account for a substantial portion of this racial difference. Patients who had hypertension, a lower quality of life, received a physician’s recommendation for bariatric surgery, or were younger were more likely to consider bariatric surgery. Compared to Caucasians, African Americans and Hispanics reported a significantly higher willingness to consider bariatric surgery if advised so by a doctor, a particularly interesting finding in light of evidence that African Americans and Hispanics generally report lower trust in their healthcare providers.3 ^, 4 …