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Psychiatry heal thyself: a lifestyle intervention targeting mental health staff to enhance uptake of lifestyle interventions for people prescribed antipsychotic medication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

S. Rosenbaum ,
A. Watkins ,
P.B. Ward ,
D. Pearce ,
K. Fitzpatrick  and
J. Curtis
S. Rosenbaum*
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Psychiatry, Sydney, Australia
A. Watkins
Affiliation:
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Keeping the Body In Mind Programme, Sydney, Australia
P.B. Ward
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Psychiatry, Sydney, Australia
D. Pearce
Affiliation:
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Keeping the Body In Mind Programme, Sydney, Australia
K. Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Keeping the Body In Mind Programme, Sydney, Australia
J. Curtis
Affiliation:
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Keeping the Body In Mind Programme, Sydney, Australia
*
* Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

People experiencing severe mental illness (SMI) face a shortened life expectancy of up to 20 years, primarily due to preventable cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Lifestyle interventions are effective in reducing CV risk, yet examples of service-wide interventions are lacking. Staff culture remains a barrier to the successful implementation of lifestyle interventions. The Keeping the Body in Mind (KBIM) program, established by SESLHD (Australia), aims to close the gap in life expectancy through multidisciplinary teams, including clinical nurse consultants, dieticians, exercise physiologists, and peer support workers. Prior to the KBIM rollout, an individualized lifestyle intervention called Keeping Our Staff In Mind (KoSiM) was offered to all district mental health staff.

Objective

KoSiM examined the effectiveness of a staff intervention to improve physical health, confidence, knowledge and attitudes of mental health staff.

Methods

Mental health staffs were invited to participate in an online survey and a 4-week individualized intervention including personalised health screening and lifestyle advice, with a 16-week follow-up. Outcomes assessed included: attitudes, confidence and knowledge regarding metabolic health, weight, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, sleep, diet, physical activity and exercise capacity.

Results

Of a total of 702 staff, 204 completed the survey (29%). Among those completing the survey, 154 staff (75%) participated in the intervention. A mean decrease in waist circumference of 2 ± 2.7 cm, (P < 0.001) was achieved. Among staffs that were overweight or obese at baseline, 75% achieved a decrease in WC.

Conclusion

Improving staff culture regarding physical health interventions is an important step in integrating lifestyle interventions into routine care.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Type
EV1329
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 33 , Issue S1: Abstracts of the 24th European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2016 , pp. S619
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2016
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