Factors associated with disordered eating behaviors among schizophrenia patients

Abstract

Recent hypotheses suggest that patients with schizophrenia consume more unhealthy foods, an issue that raises the need for a more meticulous examination of disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in such patients due to increasing rates of metabolic mortality and morbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate predictors associated with DEBs in schizophrenia. This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2018 to November 2019. A total of 131 patients with schizophrenia were recruited through convenience sampling among outpatients referring to the Baharan Psychiatric Clinic (Zahedan, Iran). Patients were evaluated using demographic information forms and the eating attitudes test-26 items. In this study, 120 patients (52 males and 68 females) with schizophrenia provided correct answers to the questionnaires. According to regression analysis results, the variables of marital status, employment, classes of medication, and duration of disease could significantly predict DEBs among schizophrenia patients. The results of this study demonstrate the need for a more meticulous examination of DEBs at earlier stages of schizophrenia. Besides, psychosocial interventions and antipsychotic medication switching seem to be associated with a decreased risk of DEBs among schizophrenia patients.