Cittim B. Palomares Palomares, Georgina L. Álvarez Rayón, Eva Martins da Conceiçao, Juan Manuel Mancilla Díaz, Mayaro Ortega Luyando
Introduction: Adherence to treatment (ADT) afterbariatric surgery (BS) is paramount for success. However, lit-tle is known about the factors that predict it. Objective: This systematic review analyzed the extent ofrecent knowledge about the factors that affect behavioral as-pects of ADT post-BS. Methodology: The search was conducted in accordancewith the PRISMA statement. It was performed in Web ofScience, MedLine and PsycInfo, covering from 2007 toJanuary 2021. After verification of compliance with the selec-tion criteria, the retained studies were further evaluated fortheir quality. Results: Eleven studies were analyzed. Although littlemore than 80% showed adequate quality, certain deficitswere identified, mainly regarding external and internal valid-ity. The most widely used behavioral indicator of ADT was at-tendance at follow-up appointments (63.6%), and only astudy included more than one indicator. The predictors wereclassified into five groups: sociodemographic, psychological,medical, nutritional, and physical activity-related. The largestnumber of articles examined variables of the first two types,however, it is not possible to identify consistency in terms ofthe predictors analyzed.
Conclusions: Despite the problem that non-ADT after BSrepresents, few studies focus on this topic. Therefore, it is ur-gent to orient efforts towards systematization, since the find-ings should form the basis for the design of evidence-basedinterventions that help improve ADT in these patients.