Does Lower Level of Education and Health Literacy Affect Successful Outcomes in Bariatric Surgery?

Background: Our previous study demonstrated that lower level of education was associated with increased rates of postoperative hospital visits following bariatric surgery, potentially secondary to decreased understanding of postoperative expectations. Our follow-up study seeks to evaluate whether patients with lower level of education and health literacy have decreased weight loss success and resolution of comorbidities after bariatric surgery. Methods: Bariatric surgery patients presenting between October 2015 and December 2016 were administered a preoperative questionnaire, which reported education level and contained the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form (REALM-SF) health literacy test. The percentage of excess weight loss (EWL) and improvement of hypertension and diabetes mellitus at 6 months were compared across education level (≤12th grade versus >12th grade) and health literacy score (≤8th grade versus high school level) using Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon tests. Results: Seventy-eight patients were followed until their 6-month postoperative appointment (median 7 months, range 4-12 months); 6 scored ≤8th grade for health literacy on the REALM-SF (8%); and 21 had a ≤12th grade level education (27%). Patients with ≤8th grade on REALM-SF health literacy test lost 35% EWL versus 44% EWL by those with high school level health literacy score (P = .03). There was no significant difference in EWL compared across education level (44% versus 43%, P = .63). There were no significant differences in comorbidity improvement. Conclusions: The few patients in our cohort with a low health literacy level had a significantly lower EWL following bariatric surgery, and no differences were seen across education level. Increased vigilance in patients with low health literacy may be warranted to ensure excellent outcomes.