title: Chronic disease health risk behaviours amongst people with a mental illness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Amongst people with a mental illness, modifiable health risk behaviours contribute substantially to increased chronic disease morbidity and mortality. This study examined the prevalence of and interest in changing such behaviours amongst community mental health service clients in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A telephone interview was undertaken with Australian community mental health service clients. Participants reported engagement in four health risk behaviours: tobacco smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Participants were classified as at risk based upon Australian national guidelines. At-risk participants were asked whether they were considering improving their health risk behaviour within the next month. The association between psychiatric diagnosis and risk, and interest in improving health risk behaviours was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Risk prevalence was highest for inadequate vegetable consumption (78.3%), followed by inadequate fruit consumption (60%), smoking (50.7%), physical inactivity (46.8%), short-term alcohol risk (40.3%) and chronic alcohol risk (35.3%). A majority of at-risk participants were considering improving their health risk behaviour for smoking, physical inactivity and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption (65.1%, 71.1%, and 53.3%, respectively). After adjusting for demographic factors, no diagnostic categories were associated with risk for any behaviour. Those with a diagnosis of depression were more likely to be interested in quitting smoking and increasing physical activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regardless of diagnosis, a high prevalence of chronic disease health risk behaviours was identified, with many participants expressing an interest in improving these behaviours. Such findings reinforce recommendations that preventive care addressing the chronic disease risks of clients be provided routinely by mental health clinicians.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12613000693729. URL: www.anzctr.org.au/.
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia Kate.Bartlem@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Kate M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bartlem
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia.
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Wye
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lecathelinais
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McElwaine
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Gillham
authors.affiliation: Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend Health Services, Wallsend, Australia Hunter Medical Research Institute, Clinical Research Centre, New Lambton Heights, Australia School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wiggers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; chronic disease risk; community mental health services; health risk behaviour; mental health; mental illness; nutrition; physical activity; preventive care; smoking