Care Dependency and Its Association with Quality of Life Before and After Sleeve Gastrectomy

Abstract

Background: Excess weight can make obese individuals dependent on others by making it difficult, even impossible, to carry out daily activities such as movement and self-care. The current study aimed to evaluate the level of care dependency in patients before and after bariatric surgery and analyze the relationship between care dependency and the quality of life of the patients. Methods: This study was conducted between June 2021 and July 2022, with 98 patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Data were collected using the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) and the Obesity and Weight-Loss Quality of Life Instrument (OWLQOL). Results: The mean care dependency score of the patients was 75.47 +/- 9.51 before surgery and 80.67 +/- 6.29 after surgery. There was a positive relationship between the preoperative and postoperative CDS scores and postoperative OWLQOL scores (r = 0.327, p < 0.05; r = 0.544; p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that the level of care dependency is low in bariatric surgery patients and that care dependence is associated with quality of life. Providing care to bariatric surgery patients according to their level of care dependency may contribute to the improvement of the patients' quality of life and the success of the bariatric surgery.