title: Improving quality of life and physical health in patients with schizophrenia: A 30-month program carried out in a real-life setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with schizophrenia experience low quality of life (QoL) and poor physical health, which is explained, in part, by unhealthy lifestyle, tobacco smoking, poor diet and sedentary behavior.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To measure QoL and physical health in patients with schizophrenia and to quantify associations between QoL and physical health.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a naturalistic longitudinal 30-month follow-up study including individual guidance, group sessions and treatment as usual.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 190 patients. QoL was low among newly diagnosed patients. Higher body mass index was significantly associated with lower QoL. Newly diagnosed male patients showed lower QoL compared with females. Newly diagnosed patients experienced worsened health during the study period. In contrast, long-term schizophrenic patients started with worse physical health but improved with regard to weight, waist circumferences, intake of fast food and soft drinks, and light physical activity level. Newly diagnosed patients improved their QoL ( p = .056), and the psychological domain improved by 8.0 points ( p = .003). The number of interventions was positively associated with QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with schizophrenia presented with low QoL and elevated risk factors for poor physical health. The intervention added onto 'treatment as usual' improved some risk factors for poor physical health among long-term patients. The number of interventions had an elevating effect on QoL in patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Mental Health Center, Psychiatric Hospital, Randers, Denmark.|2 Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hjorth
authors.affiliation: 3 Psychiatric Research Academy, Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Clara Reece
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Medici
authors.affiliation: 4 Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juel
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Nikolaj Juul
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.affiliation: 6 Regional Psychiatric Services West, Central Denmark Region, Herning, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vandborg
authors.affiliation: 3 Psychiatric Research Academy, Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.|7 Department of Psychiatry, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Povl
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Munk-Jørgensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D003718:Denmark; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Quality of life; antipsychotic agents; duration of illness; intervention; physical health; prevention; schizophrenia