Abstract
People with psychotic illnesses, such as schizophrenia, have high rates of unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as smoking and physical inactivity. Young people who seek help for mental health care, particularly those at high risk for psychosis, often also display high rates of these unhealthy behaviours. Although healthy living interventions have been applied to people with established psychosis, no attempt has been made to offer them to young people at risk for developing psychosis, despite potential benefits to mental and physical health. We propose that the COM‐B model (consisting of capability, opportunity and motivation) and behaviour‐change wheel might be an appropriate framework that mental health nurses and other health professionals could apply. Using a systematic and theoretically‐based approach to intervention development could result in effective methods of health promotion in this group. Further training and development for mental health nurses could encourage a greater integration of mental and physical health care.
Highlights
The physical health disparities of people with schizophrenia and severe mental illness are an area of increasing concern (Shiers et al 2015)
These lifestyle factors are present from an early stage (first-episode of psychosis (FEP)), and might even occur prior to the onset of psychosis, in those who are at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis or putatively ‘prodromal’ (Addington et al 2015; Carney et al 2016)
As UHR individuals present with subthreshold, emerging psychotic symptoms, we considered physical activity interventions for people with early psychosis
Summary
The physical health disparities of people with schizophrenia and severe mental illness are an area of increasing concern (Shiers et al 2015). A relatively new model, the COM-B model has been successfully applied as a framework to the English Department of Health 2010 tobacco control strategy (Health, 2010), the NICE guidance on reducing obesity (NICE, 2006), medication adherence and management (Jackson et al 2014; Sinnott et al 2015), management of spinal cord injury (Bérubé et al 2015), childhood obesity (Curtis et al 2015b; Robinson et al 2013), and promotion of safe-sex practices (Newby et al 2013) It has recently been adopted by Improving Access to Psychological Therapy teams to guide the application of low-intensity lifestyle interventions for psychological well-being practitioners and other health professionals
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