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Obesity is an epidemic in the United States with more than one-third of adults over age 20 classified as obese.

A team of Arizona State University researchers have presented new research that shows that people who have weight loss surgery to treat obesity report an overall improvement in quality of life issues after surgery, from their relationships to their medical conditions. 

The  researchers will present their findings at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

The researchers found that people who underwent bariatric surgery see positive changes in their social life and medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol level, and sleep apnea. Increased mobility as one of the positive aspects of having surgery to lose weight.

Bariatric surgery is becoming increasingly popular and can provide dramatic weight loss of up to 100 pounds or more.  

According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, about 220,000 people underwent bariatric surgery in 2009 in the United States, up from about 13,300 procedures in 1998.

The researchers collected data from 213 patients ranging in age from 26 to 73 years old, with an average age of 50, through a self-selected sample of participants in an online support group. Some of the study questions examined physical health, self esteem, social life, work life, family life, mobility, and satisfaction with surgery results.

Weight loss among participants averaged 95 pounds per person while the range of weight experiences was wide-from a gain of 80 pounds, which is atypical according to the researchers, to a weight loss of 260 pounds.

People who elected to have the surgery to reduce negative reactions to their weight among friends and family reported better relationships after surgery. Respondents also reported a decrease in depression after the surgery.

Study co-author Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld said the researchers thought there would be more negative reactions to the surgery, but the response was very positive and most people had improvements in chronic health problems.

Researchers said the findings add to growing evidence that overcoming the stigma of being overweight can lead to greater satisfaction among relationships with family and friends, and in social life in general. 

Kronenfeld said while the participants were happy with the social improvements, they were not as pleased with the way they looked after the surgery. 

"They may have hanging skin and those kinds of issues to deal with. It's not clear if most insurance companies will cover treatment of those issues since it may be considered cosmetic," she said.

Motivators to have the surgery in order were: to decrease the risk of health problems; to improve overall health; to improve appearance; and to boost self esteem. Respondents also cited the ability to be physically active-for instance, being able to play on the floor with their children if they hadn't been able to manage that in the past when they were larger. 

Overcoming society's stigma of being overweight was another benefit respondents noted after losing weight.