The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Biopsychosocial Wellbeing – A Pilot Investigation of Qualitative Research of Project DigiWELL v1

Background: Obesity rates are rising.Bariatric surgery offers treatment for individuals with class ≥ 1 obesity.While dietary recommendations are clear, psychological support and physicalactivity are less examined. The study explored bariatric patients' perceptionsof their biopsychosocial well-being, focusing on physical activity and digitaltechnology supporting behavioral change. Purpose: The main aim of the pilot studywas to assess the feasibility of a semi-structured interview; thesecondary goals were to evaluate topic coverage anddevelop a preliminary coding framework. Methods: Semi-structured interviews wereconducted with five participants. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, andcoded in MAXQDA, using Strauss and Corbin’s open coding. Researchers conductedthematic analysis. Results: Patients face biopsychosocialchallenges post-surgery and benefit from multidisciplinary support. Digitaltechnologies aid behavior monitoring and social connections. Methodologicalimprovements were identified. Conclusion: The study confirmed thefeasibility of the interview format, validated topic relevance, and providedgroundwork for the main qualitative study.