title: Weight Gain Risk Factor assessment checklist: overview and recommendation for use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with mental illness are at risk for weight gain. Evidence-based risk assessment checklists have the potential to identify patients at risk early in treatment and improve patient outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 16-item Weight Gain Risk Factor (WGRF-16) checklist has been developed as a simple brief assessment of key weight gain risk factors during antipsychotic treatment. It consists of factors that were collected on the basis of published research on predictors to be assessed at initiation of, and early in treatment with antipsychotics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The factors in the WGRF-16 checklist included age, sex, body mass index, race, appetite, energy intake, a diagnosis of undifferentiated schizophrenia, early clinical response, comorbiditites, social activity, patient insight, housing conditions, weight satisfaction, eating habits, and physical activity level. The WGRF-16 is designed to be repeated 2-3 weeks after initiation of treatment to help to predict an individual's risk of clinically significant weight gain (>7%) during long-term treatment. Further research is required to assess the predictive validity of the checklist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The WGRF-16 checklist is not intended to replace other required monitoring of patients with severe mental disorders but is a facilitator of weight monitoring in conjunction with clinical guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research, Lilly Hungaria Kft, Hungary.
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Treuer
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pendlebury
authors.forename: Hazlin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lockman
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bushe
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karagianis
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raskin
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lipkovich
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents