Health-related quality of life, adiposity, and sedentary behavior in patients with early schizophrenia: preliminary study

OBJECTIVE To examine adiposity and sedentary behavior in relation to health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with early schizophrenia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was used to assess adiposity by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans, habitual physical activity and idle sitting time by the Short Form International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and health-related QoL by the RAND Medical Outcomes Study SF-36. QoL scores were compared with age-adjusted Canadian normative population data. RESULTS There were 36 participants with early schizophrenia, average age 25.1 (±3.6). Twenty-nine (72.5%) were males. Mean illness duration was 30 (±18) months, and mean body mass index was 28.3 (±5). Females had higher body fat content than males (30.8 ±6.9 vs 24.7 ± 10.6; t = -2.6, df = 34; P = 0.015). Total body fat (F = 14; P = 0.001), lean body mass (F = 10.2; P = 0.001), and sedentary behavior (F = 5; P = 0.013) significantly increased across body mass index categories. Total body fat was correlated with sedentary behavior (r = 0.62; P = 0.001), and total lean body mass was negatively correlated with sedentary behavior (r = 0.39; P = 0.03). Based on SF-36 scores, participants had significantly lower physical functioning (P = 0.0034), role physical (P = 0.0003), general health (P < 0.0001), vitality (P = 0.03), and physical component scores (P = 0.003) than Canadian population comparisons. Habitual sedentary behavior, more than activity or adiposity levels, was associated with health-related QoL in early schizophrenia. CONCLUSION Health-related QoL is lower in early schizophrenia and is predominantly experienced in the physical domain. QoL in early schizophrenia relates to sedentary behavior more than to activity and adiposity levels.