DETERMINANTES DE SAÚDE MENTAL EM PACIENTES BARIÁTRICOS: PAPEL DO NÍVEL DE ATIVIDADE FÍSICA E DO BEM-ESTAR GERAL

Abstract

During the preoperative period of bariatric surgery, symptoms of depression and anxiety are common and may be associated with health status and well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the association between health and well-being correlates and mental health among patients attending a bariatric surgery outpatient clinic of a public university hospital. Mental health was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Physical activity level (PAL), sedentary time, and body composition were included as health correlates, while well-being was assessed through sleep quality, stress, fatigue, and muscle pain. Simple and adjusted linear and multinomial regression models were used to evaluate the associations, adopting an α of 5%. A total of 119 patients were assessed, of whom 87.4% were women. The adjusted model showed that patients with insufficient PAL (<150 minutes) were 4.01 (95%CI 1.44– 11.18), 4.66 (95%CI 1.52–14.24), and 3.83 (95%CI 1.41–10.41) times more likely to present symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Moreover, higher stress levels in the well-being domain were associated with anxiety (p=0.021) and

stress (p=0.002) symptoms. The Two Step Cluster analysis revealed that patients with poorer well-being had higher odds of being classified as severe/very severe for mental health (p≤0.01). In conclusion, bariatric patients from a public university hospital exhibited poorer mental health associated with insufficient physical activity and lower well-being, characterized by poor sleep quality, higher psychological stress, fatigue, and muscle pain.