Research view
Title: | The prevalence of obesity in a sample of Egyptian psychiatric patients |
Author: | Ahmed Kamel , Hesham Abuhegazy , Ali Ismail , Khalid Sherra , Mohammed Ramadan , Abdullah Mekky , Ali Al Nabawy |
Abstract: |
Background
The relationship between mental health and obesity has been studied in different
types of research studies as it is considered very important. A lot of research studies
have proposed several theories and mechanisms on how the two are linked, which
should be reviewed and considered in the management plan of psychiatric
disorders.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence and correlates of obesity and
overweight in a sample of psychiatric patients (inpatients and outpatients) with no
history of pharmacological treatment in Al-Hussein University Hospital.
Patients and methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted during a 6-month-period on 130
psychiatric patients who were subjected to a semistructured clinical interview
according to DSM-IV-TR criteria to diagnose psychiatric disorders. Obesity
assessment was carried out by measuring the weight (kg) using a scale and
measuring the height (m) to calculate the BMI, which is based on the BMI
equation Wt (kg)/Ht2 (m2
).
Results
The prevalence of obesity and overweight in psychiatric patients was 66.93%
(22.31% were obese, and 44.62% were overweight). The prevalence of obesity was
highest in bipolar disorder (41.38%), followed by depression (37.93%),
schizophrenia (10.34%), anxiety disorder (6.9%), and finally substance abuse
disorder (3.45%), but the difference was not statistically significant. There was a
significant correlation between sociodemographic characteristics of patients and
obesity and the distribution of psychiatric disorders.
Conclusion
The prevalence of obesity and overweight in psychiatric patients was relatively high,
and this can occur with most psychiatric disorders, especially mood disorders, and
were supposed to be due to other several mechanisms and risk factors other than
the effect of psychotropic medications on the weight of psychiatric patients.
Moreover, there are some demographic and social factors that may moderate or
mediate the association between obesity and psychiatric disorders; thus,
identification of overweight and obesity, associated risk factors, and efforts to
prevent weight gain should begin at the initiation of mental health treatment.
Keywords:
obesity, overweight, psychiatric disorders
|
Journal: | Egyptian Journal of Psychiatry 2016, 37:157–165 |
Text: | |
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