Physical health promotion in patients with functional psychoses receiving community psychiatric services: Results of the PHYSICO-DSM-VR study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate whether a health promotion package, including walking groups, improved diet and physical activity in psychotic patients.
Results Summary
The intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement (25.4% vs. 12.2% in controls) in meeting WHO diet and exercise criteria, with increased physical activity being a notable outcome.
Population
Psychotic patients receiving care in psychiatric services.
Effective Dosage
Not specified (regular participation in walking groups).
Duration
Not specified.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
psychoeducation sessions on diet and physical activity and regular participation in walking groups | increase | World Health Organization recommendation on diet and exercise | psychotic patients | 25.4% of experimental group subjects | improvement in one or more World Health Organization criteria over baseline was observed | #1 |
routine treatment | increase | World Health Organization recommendation on diet and exercise | psychotic patients | 12.2% of control group subjects | improvement in one or more World Health Organization criteria over baseline was observed | #2 |
psychoeducation sessions on diet and physical activity and regular participation in walking groups | increase | lifestyle habits | psychotic patients | - | post-treatment improvement in lifestyle habits | #3 |
psychoeducation sessions on diet and physical activity and regular participation in walking groups | increase | physical activity | psychotic patients | - | post-treatment improvement | #4 |
psychoeducation sessions on diet and physical activity and regular participation in walking groups | decrease | lifestyle variability | psychotic patients | - | post-intervention reduction | #5 |
OBJECTIVES: Psychotic patients have poorer health behaviours, including poor diets and sedentary lifestyles increasing their risk for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia, and tend to have a shorter life expectancy as compared to nonpsychiatric populations. Lifestyle intervention programmes that target modifiable risk factors in such patients have produced uneven results. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a package of health promotion strategies to improve diet and physical exercise in psychotic patients. Our hypothesis was that a pre- to post-treatment improvement in physical activity and dietary habits would occur in the group receiving intervention. METHOD: This randomised controlled trial was carried out in four psychiatric services. The intervention included psychoeducation sessions on diet and physical activity and regular participation in walking groups (experimental group). The control group received routine treatment. The primary outcome was an improvement of at least one World Health Organization recommendation on diet and exercise. RESULTS: Of a total of 326 subjects recruited, 169 were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 157 to the control group. An improvement in one or more World Health Organization criteria over baseline was observed in 25.4% of experimental group subjects and in 12.2% of control group subjects (odds ratio 2.46, 95% confidence interval 1.22-4.97; p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant proportion of the sample achieved post-treatment improvement in lifestyle habits, especially as regarded increased physical activity. A post-intervention reduction in lifestyle variability was also noted. Interventions directly addressing dietary habits may be desirable in psychotic patients.