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Objective: To determine sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle perception and physical activity levels in obese prebariatric surgery patients., Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study. The sample comprised 96 male and female morbidly obese prebariatric surgery patients. Questionnaires addressing sociodemographic profile, lifestyle perception and physical activity levels were applied., Results: Patients were aged 40.3±11.45 years. Inadequate levels of physical activity were reported by 47.8% of patients; most respondents (79.2%) attributed scores defined as inadequate to the physical activity domain of the lifestyle questionnaire. Time spent on physical activity practice per week differed significantly between patients reporting being physically active or physically inactive in adolescence (p=0.046)., Conclusion: Most obese prebariatric surgery patients perceive their lifestyle as inadequate, in spite of eligibility for bariatric surgery. Results also indicate that physical activity practice and nutrition are the domains with greatest impacts on patient lifestyle, and that physical activity practice in adolescence may contribute to adoption of a more active behavior in adulthood, which may represent a vital tool for health promotion in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.