Prevalence and associated factors of overweight/obesity among severely ill psychiatric patients in Eastern Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Globally, the burden of overweight and obesity is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor and is even higher among patients with psychiatric disorders compared to the general population. This is mainly due to the deleterious lifestyles characterized by physical inactivity, excessive substance use, and unhealthy diets common among patients with psychiatric disorders, as well as the negative metabolic effects of psychotropic medications. Despite these conditions being a high burden among patients with psychiatric illness, little attention is given to them during routine reviews in psychiatric clinics in most African nations, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of and associated risk factors for overweight and obesity among patients with psychiatric illnesses. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between severely ill psychiatric patients and non-psychiatric patients in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia. The study included 192 study participants (96 psychiatric patients and 96 non-psychiatric controls). Weight and height were measured for 192 study participants. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients were described. The data were cleaned and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, Version 21. The intergroup comparisons were performed using an independent sample t-test and Chi-square tests. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between overweight/obesity and the associated variables. RESULTS: The magnitude of overweight/obesity was significantly higher in the severely ill psychiatric groups (43.8%) than in the non-exposed controls (20.80%). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was highest in major depressive disorders (40%), followed by schizophrenia (32%), and bipolar disorder (28%). CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of obesity/overweight among psychiatric patients. Educational status, unemployment, and late stages of the disease were significant predictors of overweight/ obesity. Clinicians should be aware of the health consequences of overweight/obesity, and considering screening strategies as a part of routine psychiatric care is strongly recommended.