Pre-operative Exercise as a Predictor of Weight Loss in Adolescents Following Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Cohort Study

Abstract Background Pre-operative exercise is associated with weight loss following bariatric surgery in adults, but this relationship in adolescents and young adults (AYA) is not well studied. Objectives The current study examined AYA-reported pre-operative exercise and demographic factors and their prediction of percent excess body mass index loss (%EBMIL) at 6 and 12 months following sleeve gastrectomy. Setting The setting for recruitment and surgeries was in a children’s hospital in the United States. Methods Participants were 173 AYA ages 12-21 (Mean age = 16.5; SD=2.0; Mean pre-op BMI = 50; SD=8.5). Demographics including age, gender, ethnicity, and pre-operative BMI were extracted from the medical record. Pre-operatively, adolescents self-reported on exercise using 5 items from the Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. The study evaluated the association of self-reported pre-operative exercise in total, as well as obtaining a threshold of higher exercise to weight loss at 6 and 12 months post-surgery. Results More pre-operative exercise was associated with greater weight loss at 12 months. Grouping participants by those who reported exercising at high levels (≥5 hours/week) compared to those who reported Conclusions Pre-operative exercise may predict and contribute to weight loss in AYA and could be a target for pre- and post-operative intervention to improve outcomes. The importance of lower pre-operative BMI for maximizing post-operative weight loss was also supported.