Introduction:

In Mexico, neither the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) nor the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System (BAROS) instruments have been used to assess quality of life (QoL) before and after bariatric surgery (BS).

Objective:

To describe changes in QoL using the SF-36 and BAROS questionnaires in patients with severe obesity before and after BS.

Methods:

Clinical and anthropometric data of patients undergoing bariatric surgery between 2015 and 2016 were collected. Statistical significance was considered with a p-value < 0.05.

Results:

230 patients were analyzed, 98 before and 132 and after BS; most were females (81 %). Initial body mass index was 48 kg/m2 (44-53). SF-36-measured QoL showed an increase in the physical component score from 43 to 54.2 points (p < 0.001), and in the mental component, from 53.3 to 56.6 points after BS. With BAROS, 98.5 % showed good to excellent QoL results within the first three months after BS.

Conclusion:

When measured with the SF-36 and BAROS questionnaires, QoL of Mexican patients with severe obesity was found to improve after BS.