Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program - Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes

Obesity currently impacts nearly 2 million Canadian adults and weight loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) is considered as the first line of treatment for people with severe obesity. However, the results of these procedures are often only maintained in the short term. Dealing with mental health issues (for example, emotional eating, difficulties managing stress, low self-esteem) have been shown to be related to having only short-term benefits from surgery. The goal of this Café Scientifique is to provide the public with information and a discussion about the role of mental health in severe obesity. Through this process we hope to offer participants practical advice about the psychological adaptations needed before and after bariatric surgery, and to enable patients to share how they coped with challenges related to the psychological side of the bariatric process. This 90-minute event will include a panel of patients with lived experience, as well as obesity, bariatric surgery and mental health experts. A brief talk from a patient will be followed by a moderated open discussion between the panel and audience. The café will be broadcasted live and videotaped to make it available for later viewing to reach as many people as possible. The panel has been carefully chosen to ensure a diverse and inclusive representation of varied voices, experiences, and expertise to enable a constructive dialogue between clinicians, researchers, knowledge users, and patients/members of the public.