Development and Evaluation of the "Eating More Consciously" Module of a Lifestyle Intervention Program to Prevent Medication-Induced Weight Gain in Psychiatric Patients: A One-Arm Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE

Overweight and obesity are health issues that are increasing worldwide. Patients with severe mental illness are particularly vulnerable for various reasons, including the intake of weight gain-associated drugs. In this pilot study, we targeted eating behavior as a predictor for medication-induced weight gain and developed a module of a prevention program ("Eating More Consciously") to be evaluated by psychiatric inpatients.

METHODS

Thirty-three patients participated in a behaviorally oriented group therapy program with 2 modules of 120 minutes each and weekly follow-up measurements over 4 weeks. Measures included weight, laboratory parameters, the German versions of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (Fragebogen Essverhalten; FEV) and the Food Craving Inventory (FCI) as well as a questionnaire on the implementation of the strategies in everyday life.

RESULTS

Thirty-three participants completed both modules and felt that they had benefited from the module "Eating More Consciously". Fragebogen Essverhalten domain "cognitive restraint" scores increased significantly throughout the study ( = .039), and the FCI sum score decreased significantly ( = .003).

CONCLUSION

We propose that the "Eating More Consciously" module is a promising approach to behavioral intervention in weight management in patients with severe mental illness. Prospective randomized controlled studies with a larger sample and a longer follow-up are needed.