Dr. Slotman says one explanation as to why family members had better overall results is that they were much better at keeping appointments with their doctor following surgery, particularly after the first year. The first six months after surgery 89 percent of patients in the family group and 81 percent of the control group kept their appointments. But at the one year mark, only 58 percent of the control group was keeping their appointments compared to 83.5 percent in the family group. Dr. Slotman suggests that the greater adherence to follow-up care may have helped family members achieve better compliance with post-surgery dietary requirements and may account for the differences in weight loss and disease resolution. Complication rates were comparably low among both groups.

The study found several differences among family member pairings. Adult children lost significantly more weight than their parents, which Dr. Slotman suggested could be because the older a patient is and the longer he or she has been obese, the more difficult it may be to change longstanding eating and exercise habits. Younger patients may also be more motivated to comply with lifestyle changes due to their age and social interactions with peers.

People who are morbidly obese are generally 100 or more pounds overweight, have a BMI of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35 or more with an obesity-related disease, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea. According to the ASMBS, more than 15 million Americans are considered morbidly obese and in 2009 an estimated 220,000 people had some form of bariatric surgery. The most common methods of bariatric surgery are laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Source: ASMBS