Seppe Deckx

State anxiety, psychological stress and positive well-being responses to yoga and aerobic exercise in people with schizophrenia: a pilot study.

Purpose. Worsening of schizophrenia symptoms is related to stress and anxiety. People with schizophrenia often experience difficulties in coping with stress and possess a limited repertoire of coping strategies. A randomised comparative trial was undertaken in patients with schizophrenia to evaluate changes in state anxiety, psychological stress and subjective well-being after single sessions of yoga and aerobic exercise compared with a control condition. Method. Forty participants performed a single 30-min yoga session, 20-min of aerobic exercise on a bicycle ergometre at self-selected intensity and a 20-min no exercise control condition in random order. Results. After single sessions of yoga and aerobic exercise individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder showed significantly decreased state anxiety (p < 0.0001), decreased psychological stress (p < 0.0001) and increased subjective well-being (p < 0.0001) compared to a no exercise control condition. Effect sizes ranged from 0.82 for psychological stress after aerobic exercise to 1.01 for state anxiety after yoga. The magnitude of the changes did not differ significantly between yoga and aerobic exercise. Conclusion. People with schizophrenia and physiotherapists can choose either yoga or aerobic exercise in reducing acute stress and anxiety taking into account the personal preference of each individual.

Cardiometabolic effects of physical activity interventions for people with schizophrenia

Abstract Objectives: To identify and evaluate the recent evidence of physical activity (PA) with or without diet counselling on cardiometabolic parameters in people who have schizophrenia. Methods: Keyword searches were used to identify articles since 2003 up to August 2009 from PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PEDro, DARE, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and PsycINFO. There were no limitations in terms of study design and sample size. Data were extracted from each included study using key items that included participants, study design, intervention modalities, and outcome measures. Results: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Physical activity with or without diet counselling results in modest weight loss, reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and decreases in fasting plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin. Identifying an optimal dose or intervention strategy for PA is not yet possible. Compliance to PA seems to be an important predictor of the PA response. Discussion: There is evidence that PA with or without diet counselling is feasible and effective in reducing weight and improving obesity-related cardiometabolic risk profile in people with schizophrenia. More research focussing on the effectiveness of different PA interventions in prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome in people with schizophrenia is highly needed.