Exploring the Acceptability of Post-bariatric Nutritional-Behavioral and Supervised Exercise Intervention (BARI-LIFESTYLE): A Mixed Methods Evaluation.

Background: The BARI-LIFESTYLE trial explored the impacts of a combined nutritional-behavioral tele-counselling and supervised exercise intervention in the first year following bariatric surgery. While the program did not elicit additional weight loss or improvements in health outcomes, evaluating its acceptability remains critical to refining future research and intervention design.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed. First, the acceptability of the intervention program was determined through randomization refusal rate, dropout rate, intervention refusal rate, and attendance rate. Data from the self-reported exit questionnaire completed at the final study visit were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and free-text responses were examined using a content analysis approach.

Results: A total of 79 participants (74.7% female; mean ± SD age 44.8 ± 10.8 years; mean BMI 42.1 ± 5.8 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to the BARI-LIFESTYLE program. The randomization refusal rate was 2%. The tele-counselling achieved high acceptability, as evidenced by a low refusal rate (1.3%), and high attendance (79%), with 96.8% reporting the sessions as useful. Qualitative data further highlighted its role in supporting post-bariatric surgery lifestyle adaptation. In contrast, the supervised exercise program exhibited moderate acceptability, with a higher refusal rate (21.6%) and an attendance rate of 72.4%. Despite this, 98.1% of regular attendees found the sessions beneficial, particularly for addressing physical and psychological barriers to exercise. Key barriers to participation in both interventions included competing demands and scheduling conflicts. To improve the acceptability of future interventions, recommendations include the integration of mobile technology, increasing the frequency of tele-counselling sessions, enhancing accessibility to exercise classes, and providing personalized exercise programs.

Conclusions: Participant-reported outcomes suggest that the BARI-LIFESTYLE program provided holistic support, addressing diet, exercise, social, and psychological aspects of life after bariatric surgery.