ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health and Nutrition
This article is part of the Research TopicAssessing and Addressing Public Health and Community Nutrition Challenges in the Arab RegionView all 21 articles
Navigating Barriers and Facilitators to Lifestyle Changes After Bariatric Surgery: Qualitative Interviews with Emirati Adolescents
Provisionally accepted
Baraa A. Alries1
Efstathia Papada2Hazem Al-Momani3
Amjad Hasan Jarrar1
Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri1
Leila Cheikh Ismail4Lily Stojanovska5,6
Habiba I. Ali1*- 1Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
- 2Department of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 3Weight Management Unit, NMC Royal Khalifa Hospital, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- 4Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- 5Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
- 6Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
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Adolescent obesity is a major public health concern, with bariatric surgery emerging as an effective treatment option. However, little is known about adolescents' long-term adherence to healthy behaviors after surgery, especially in non-Western settings. This qualitative interview study explored lifestyle challenges faced and enablers experienced by adolescents who had undergone bariatric surgery at least one year prior to the interview, addressing a research gap. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 adolescents (12–19 years) who had undergone bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy: 86.6%; Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: 13.2%) more than a year ago, using the social–ecological model (SEM) to guide data collection and interpretation. The interviews revealed five key themes: Motivations for bariatric surgery, post-surgery barriers to regular physical activity, enablers for overcoming post-surgery challenges, post-bariatric surgery lifestyle change strategies, and suggestions for overcoming post-surgery challenges. Barriers to regular physical activity included family and academic responsibilities, as well as environmental, psychological, and medical factors. Health challenges were more difficult to manage than food or physical activity. Support from healthcare teams played a crucial role in overcoming post-bariatric surgery challenges, especially those related to diet and medication adherence. Participants recommended adapting lifestyle changes and consulting health professionals to overcome post-bariatric surgery challenges.
Keywords: adolescents, Bariatric Surgery, qualitative interviews, social–ecological model, Diet, physical activity, United Arab Emirates
Received: 09 Sep 2025; Accepted: 05 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alries, Papada, Al-Momani, Jarrar, Al Dhaheri, Cheikh Ismail, Stojanovska and Ali. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Habiba I. Ali, habali@uaeu.ac.ae
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