Joseph V. Gennusa

A Behavioral Weight-Loss Intervention in Persons with Serious Mental Illness

BACKGROUND Overweight and obesity are epidemic among persons with serious mental illness, yet weight-loss trials systematically exclude this vulnerable population. Lifestyle interventions require adaptation in this group because psychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of an 18-month tailored behavioral weight-loss intervention in adults with serious mental illness. METHODS We recruited overweight or obese adults from 10 community psychiatric rehabilitation outpatient programs and randomly assigned them to an intervention or a control group. Participants in the intervention group received tailored group and individual weight-management sessions and group exercise sessions. Weight change was assessed at 6, 12, and 18 months. RESULTS Of 291 participants who underwent randomization, 58.1% had schizophrenia or a schizoaffective disorder, 22.0% had bipolar disorder, and 12.0% had major depression. At baseline, the mean body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) was 36.3, and the mean weight was 102.7 kg (225.9 lb). Data on weight at 18 months were obtained from 279 participants. Weight loss in the intervention group increased progressively over the 18-month study period and differed significantly from the control group at each follow-up visit. At 18 months, the mean between-group difference in weight (change in intervention group minus change in control group) was -3.2 kg (-7.0 lb, P=0.002); 37.8% of the participants in the intervention group lost 5% or more of their initial weight, as compared with 22.7% of those in the control group (P=0.009). There were no significant between-group differences in adverse events. CONCLUSIONS A behavioral weight-loss intervention significantly reduced weight over a period of 18 months in overweight and obese adults with serious mental illness. Given the epidemic of obesity and weight-related disease among persons with serious mental illness, our findings support implementation of targeted behavioral weight-loss interventions in this high-risk population. (Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health; ACHIEVE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00902694.).

Randomized trial of achieving healthy lifestyles in psychiatric rehabilitation: the ACHIEVE trial

BackgroundOverweight and obesity are highly prevalent among persons with serious mental illness. These conditions likely contribute to premature cardiovascular disease and a 20 to 30 percent shortened life expectancy in this vulnerable population. Persons with serious mental illness need effective, appropriately tailored behavioral interventions to achieve and maintain weight loss. Psychiatric rehabilitation day programs provide logical intervention settings because mental health consumers often attend regularly and exercise can take place on-site. This paper describes the Randomized Trial of Achieving Healthy Lifestyles in Psychiatric Rehabilitation (ACHIEVE). The goal of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a behavioral weight loss intervention among persons with serious mental illness that attend psychiatric rehabilitation programs. Participants randomized to the intervention arm of the study are hypothesized to have greater weight loss than the control group.Methods/DesignA targeted 320 men and women with serious mental illness and overweight or obesity (body mass index ≥ 25.0 kg/m2) will be recruited from 10 psychiatric rehabilitation programs across Maryland. The core design is a randomized, two-arm, parallel, multi-site clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of an 18-month behavioral weight loss intervention to usual care. Active intervention participants receive weight management sessions and physical activity classes on-site led by study interventionists. The intervention incorporates cognitive adaptations for persons with serious mental illness attending psychiatric rehabilitation programs. The initial intensive intervention period is six months, followed by a twelve-month maintenance period in which trained rehabilitation program staff assume responsibility for delivering parts of the intervention. Primary outcomes are weight loss at six and 18 months.DiscussionEvidence-based approaches to the high burden of obesity and cardiovascular disease risk in person with serious mental illness are urgently needed. The ACHIEVE Trial is tailored to persons with serious mental illness in community settings. This multi-site randomized clinical trial will provide a rigorous evaluation of a practical behavioral intervention designed to accomplish and sustain weight loss in persons with serious mental illness.Trial RegistrationClinical Trials.gov NCT00902694

Racial patterns of cardiovascular disease risk factors in serious mental illness and the overall U.S. population

BACKGROUND Serious mental illness (SMI) and minority race are each associated with elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. However, little is known about racial variation in CVD risk factors in individuals with SMI. This study aimed to determine racial patterns of CVD risk factors in individuals with SMI and to compare these patterns to those of the general population. METHODS Overweight/obese adults with SMI (163 whites; 111 African Americans) examined from 2008 to 2011 during a weight loss trial were compared at study baseline to overweight/obese adults (1103 whites; 550 African Americans) of similar age, sex, and race in the 2007 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. RESULTS All CVD risk factors except cholesterol were higher in SMI than the overall U.S. population. After adjusting for age and sex, both racial groups with SMI had similarly high risks of smoking, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, while African Americans with SMI had lower risks of high cholesterol (RR 0.73; 95% CI 0.57-0.94) and metabolic syndrome (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.63-0.91) than whites with SMI. In the U.S. population sample, African Americans compared to whites had higher risks of obesity (RR 1.23; 95% CI 1.14-1.34), diabetes (RR 1.68; 95% CI 1.21-2.34), and hypertension (RR 1.44; 95% CI 1.31-1.60) but no significant difference in smoking, high cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Compared to the general population, the greater burden and dissimilar racial pattern of CVD risk factors in SMI underscore the need for CVD prevention programs targeting the SMI population.

Dietary intake of adults with serious mental illness

OBJECTIVE Suboptimal diet may be related to the high prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in persons with serious mental illnesses, but few studies have characterized dietary intake in this population. METHODS Participants were 102 overweight/obese adults with serious mental illnesses who were being screened for a weight loss trial in psychiatric rehabilitation centers. Direct observation of participant meals was completed using a standardized measurement form. RESULTS CVD risk factors were common: mean body mass index was 35.7 kg/m2; 30% had diabetes. Participants consumed 100% of caloric beverages served (7.2 oz/meal) but consumption was significantly less than served for fruits (difference of 0.12 cups/meal, p=0.003) and vegetables (0.14 cups/meal, p=0.021). The majority (56%) of meat consumed was high fat. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Interventions designed to improve dietary intake of persons with serious mental illnesses are needed to improve health in this population at high risk for CVD.

Cigarette smoking and health characteristics in individuals with serious mental illness enrolled in a behavioral weight loss trial

Objective: Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S. We examined the prevalence of smoking and the association between smoking status and health characteristics in persons with serious mental illness. Methods: A total of 291 overweight or obese adults with serious mental illness were enrolled in a behavioral weight loss trial. Cigarette smoking, co-occurring medical diagnoses, dietary intake, blood pressure, cardiovascular fitness, body mass index, quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms were assessed at baseline in 2008 through 2011. Fasting glucose and lipid markers were measured from blood samples. Cardiovascular risk profile was calculated based on the global Framingham Health Study Risk Equation. Results: A total of 128 (44%) of participants were current smokers or had smoked in the previous year. The smokers had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and blood triglyceride levels, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than the nonsmokers, adjusted for age, sex, education level, and diagnosis. They were more likely to have a history of emphysema and had a 10-year cardiovascular disease risk of 13.2%, significantly higher than the 7.4% in the nonsmokers. The smokers also had elevated ratings of psychopathology on the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24). Smokers did not differ from nonsmokers in cardiovascular fitness, body mass index, depression, quality of life, or other comorbid medical diagnoses. There was no characteristic in which smokers appeared healthier than nonsmokers. Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking in this contemporary cohort of individuals with serious mental illness who were motivated to lose weight was more than twice that in the overall population. Smokers had more indicators of cardiovascular disease and poorer mental health than did nonsmokers. The high burden of comorbidity in smokers with serious mental illness indicates a need for broad health interventions.

Perceptions of strategies for successful weight loss in persons with serious mental illness participating in a behavioral weight loss intervention: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of weight loss strategies, benefits, and barriers among persons with serious mental illness who lost weight in the ACHIEVE behavioral weight loss intervention. METHODS Semistructured interviews with 20 ACHIEVE participants were conducted and analyzed using an inductive coding approach. RESULTS Participants perceived tailored exercise sessions, social support, and dietary strategies taught in ACHIEVE-such as reducing portion sizes and avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages-as useful weight loss strategies. Health benefits, improved physical appearance, self-efficacy, and enhanced ability to perform activities of daily living were commonly cited benefits of intervention participation and weight loss. Some participants reported challenges with giving up snack food and reducing portion sizes, and barriers to exercise related to medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE There is emerging evidence that behavioral weight loss interventions can lead to clinically meaningful reductions in body weight among persons with serious mental illness. The perspective of persons with serious mental illness regarding strategies for, benefits of, and barriers to weight loss during participation in behavioral weight loss programs provide insight into which elements of multicomponent interventions such as ACHIEVE are most effective. The results of this study suggest that tailored exercise programs, social support, and emphasis on nonclinical benefits of intervention participation, such as improvements in self-efficacy and the ability to participate more actively in family and community activities, are promising facilitators of engagement and success in behavioral weight loss interventions for the population with serious mental illness. (PsycINFO Database Record

Cardiorespiratory benefits of group exercise among adults with serious mental illness

This study examined cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) among adults with serious mental illness (SMI) participating in group exercise classes. Overweight and obese adults with SMI were randomized to either a control condition or a weight management condition with group exercise classes (n = 222). Submaximal bicycle ergometry was used to assess CRF at baseline, 6 and 18 months. Those with ≥ 66% participation in the exercise classes had a lower heart rate response at 6 and 18 month follow-up. Participation in group exercise classes was associated with improved short and long term cardiovascular fitness among adults with SMI.

A cost analysis of implementing a behavioral weight loss intervention in community mental health settings: Results from the ACHIEVE trial

In the ACHIEVE randomized controlled trial, an 18‐month behavioral intervention accomplished weight loss in persons with serious mental illness who attended community psychiatric rehabilitation programs. This analysis estimates costs for delivering the intervention during the study. It also estimates expected costs to implement the intervention more widely in a range of community mental health programs.