Associação entre comportamentos sugestivos de adição alimentar, fatores clínicos-nutricionais, saúde mental, sono e atividade física em candidatos à cirurgia bariátrica

Abstract

Food addiction (FA) has been associated with obesity and unfavorable outcomes in the context of bariatric surgery (BS), especially when present in the preoperative period. Emotional factors, sleep quality, and physical activity (PA) may influence this behavior; however, they are still rarely investigated in an integrated manner. Objective: To examine the relationship between FA, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, sleep quality, PA practice, and clinical–nutritional factors in individuals in the preoperative period of BS. Method: This cross-sectional correlational study included 125 candidates for BS treated at a referral hospital in the state of Pará, Brazil. The Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were applied, in addition to sociodemographic, clinical, anthropometric, and physical activity questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of FA was 34.4%. The presence and greater severity of FA were associated with higher levels of depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.002), and stress (p = 0.001). Regular PA practice showed a negative association with severe FA (p = 0.046). A high prevalence of poor sleep quality and sleep disorders was observed, which were associated with worse emotional indicators, although no direct association with FA was found. Conclusion: FA is frequent in the preoperative period of BS and is mainly related to emotional factors and PA practice, highlighting the importance of an early multidisciplinary approach.