Cross-sectional analysis of eating disorder risk and risk correlates in candidates for bariatric surgery from the BariPredict cohort

Bariatric surgery is an effective intervention for managing obesity. Persons with obesity are a high-risk population for eating disorders (ED), and these can negatively impact perioperative and long-term outcomes of surgery. We aim to understand prevalence and correlates of ED in preintervention patients, identifying those needing psychological support. Baseline cross-sectional analysis of 275 patients of the BariPredict cohort (NCT06480058), a study to assess predictors of long-term surgery outcomes. Psychological assessments were conducted using SCOFF, KUAS, and BDI tools. Data were analyzed for prevalence of high ED risk and for associations of clinical, biological and demographic factors. Mean age was 38.5 years, mean BMI was 42.3 kg/m², with 62.5% being female. 65.8% of patients had a SCOFF score ≥ 2 indicating high ED risk. Class II obesity (p < 0.05), younger age (p < 0.01), and higher depression (p < 0.01) were associated with ED risk in a logistic regression adjusted for age, obesity class, diabetes, HbA1c, depression and anxiety scores. We report high preintervention prevalence of ED, with a risk profile corresponding to BMI of 35-39.9 Kg/m² in younger adults with concurrent depression. This patient profile should be prioritized for psychological assessment and support to potentially improve outcomes of bariatric surgery.