- Women lived with obesity since childhood, experienced progressive weight gain intensified by pregnancy, bereavement, or COVID-19 isolation.
- They endured violence, discrimination and stigma, using food and social isolation as coping and perceived protection against further harm.
- Repeated weight loss attempts failed with greater regain; functional limitations led them to seek medical care and accept bariatric surgery to regain health.
Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2026 Sep 25;60:e20260209. doi: 10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2026-0209en. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the life trajectories of women who have lived with obesity since childhood and decide to undergo bariatric surgery.
METHOD: A descriptive-exploratory qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews and photobiographies were conducted with 21 women who had undergone bariatric surgery; grounded theory analysis techniques were employed. Approval was obtained from the ethics and research committees.
RESULTS: The participants had been obese since childhood and experienced a steady increase in weight, reaching their peak during pregnancy, the loss of a loved one, or isolation due to COVID-19. They shared experiences of violence, discrimination, and stigma; they used food and isolation as a coping mechanism and a form of protection. They employed multiple strategies to lose weight, but weight regain was always greater. Limitations in performing activities of daily living led them to seek medical care, where bariatric surgery was presented as an opportunity to regain their health.
CONCLUSION: The life trajectory of those living with obesity from an early age unfolds against a backdrop of violence; isolation, emotional eating, and situational crises exacerbate weight gain, affecting their health and leading them to bariatric surgery.
PMID:42809792 | DOI:10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2026-0209en
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