Consumer healthcare survey authority Treato recently released the results of a comprehensive survey that targeted over 1,000 respondents on the issue of weight loss surgery. While the individuals who partook in the survey agreed they were significantly over their ideal weight (at least 30 pounds), and 70% of them admitted that bariatric surgery is an effective solution for addressing obesity, a surprising 85% said they would not opt to undergo the procedure. These survey findings were further corroborated by an analysis of 67,000 consumer conversations online on the different surgical procedures indicated for obesity, including gastric sleeve, gastric banding, and bypass.

The surgery results reveal that despite the fact that weight loss surgery is gaining more consumer confidence, more patient education in the obese demographic is needed to highlight its benefits.

Interestingly, among the three major types of weight loss surgery techniques polled in the survey, gastric banding was by far the most favored, with the gastric band being mentioned favorably 13 times more than Gastric Bypass. Undergoing gastric bypass surgery involves reducing the stomach’s size by more than half. In gastric band surgery, however, a silicone band is wrapped around the stomach to limit the amount of food consumed. The third option, gastric bypass surgery, utilizes a stapling technique to reduce stomach size.

While all these options offer easier weight loss and maintenance, Treato noted that participants appeared to favor gastric banding. This is primarily because gastric banding is the least invasive in that it does not entail cutting into or removing anything from the stomach. It is also reversible, requiring only a simple laparoscopic procedure to remove the band. Some of the noted benefits of gastric banding include: a much lower mortality rate (compared to gastric bypass surgery), no risk of developing malabsorption and/or gastric dumping syndrome, and a quicker recovery time. Effectiveness is not an issue with gastric banding either, as the average patient has been reported to lose between 500 grams to a kilogram each week.

There is a possibility that the vast majority of survey participants who said they would not undergo bariatric surgery themselves have not been fully educated on its long-term weight loss effects. Treato’s findings reveal a potential need for physicians and health facilities to not only suggest bariatric surgery to significantly overweight patients, but also make comparative and comprehensive information readily available to them.

Learn more about Treato’s Bariatric Surgery analysis by viewing the infographic here.