RESUMEN

Compared to the general population, people with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of weight gain and metabolic syndrome, but also of malnutrition, in part due to unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify barriers to healthy eating, including nutrition knowledge and skills in people with SMI. For this purpose, we compared the means of anthropometric data such as body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and interview data on nutrition knowledge and skills, health-related variables, eating behaviours, personality, motivation, and attitudes in 65 inpatients and 67 outpatients of the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich and 64 healthy adults using ANOVA and chi-squared tests. The results showed that patients with SMI had worse nutritional status and lifestyle compared to the healthy controls, including disordered (e.g., night eating) and unhealthy (e.g., high intake of sugary foods) eating habits. However, levels of nutrition knowledge, cooking and food skills, and motivation to eat healthily were not significantly lower in the psychiatric patients than in the healthy adults and were not associated with weight change. Based on our findings, nutritional support for people with SMI is urgently needed and should include not only educational but also behavioural and long-term approaches.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Background: Mental disorders are often associated with unhealthy eating behaviors and metabolic comorbidities. This can result in reduced life expectancy and poorer quality of life in people with mental disorders. This study protocol describes an observational study that examines the nutritional status and eating behaviors of people with severe mental illness (SMI) and the need for psychiatric treatment who were between 18 and 65 years old. In addition, the study focuses on possible barriers for healthy eating that have not yet been examined in this population. Methods: A total of 192 study participants will be recruited: 64 inpatients and 64 outpatients from the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich with SMI as well as 64 healthy individuals from the general population as a control group. The participants will be interviewed regarding their nutritional status, eating behavior, nutrition knowledge, food and cooking skills, personality, attitudes and feelings toward nutrition. In addition, the severity of symptoms and several control variables (e.g., sociodemographic variables and physical activity) will be assessed. For the patient samples, data will comprise routine medical data, and, if available, routine laboratory data. Inpatients will be interviewed once at the beginning of their treatment. Outpatients will be interviewed at the beginning and after 3 months of treatment (same interview questions). Healthy adults of the control group will be interviewed once at any time during the recruitment period. Discussion: The described study will identify nutritional needs and possible barriers to healthy eating in patients with mental disorders. The results will help to define recommendations for nutritional risk screening in psychiatric patients and for planning effective nutritional interventions.