Physical and Mental Factors Associated with Obesity in Individuals with Mental Disorders Attending Psychiatric Day-Care Facilities

BACKGROUND Individuals with mental disorders have increased rates of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Here we evaluated factors influencing obesity in individuals with mental disorders who were attending psychiatric day-care facilities on an outpatient basis. METHODS The subjects (n = 108) were outpatients attending hospital-based rehabilitation programs. We assessed body fat, weight, height, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS) scores, frequency of day-care visits, satisfaction with body shape, physical comorbidity and lifestyle habits. Lifestyle habits were evaluated using Breslow's health index based on health-related choices. RESULTS The subjects were divided into 2 groups: obese group (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) and non-obese group (BMI < 25 kg/m(2)). The physical parameters and attributes of both groups were compared, and factors related to BMI were statistically analyzed. The prevalence of obesity was 47.2% in all patients, 42.4% in males and 54.8% in females. Weight, waist circumference, body fat and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the obese group than in the non-obese group. Body fat, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure exhibited significant positive correlations with BMI, whereas the frequency of day-care visits, satisfaction with body shape, GDS score and Breslow's health index exhibited significant negative correlations with BMI. CONCLUSION The present results showed that the prevalence of obesity was high in outpatients with mental disorders. Improvement in lifestyle choices is necessary to prevent obesity and the onset of metabolic syndrome in such patients.