Disordered eating behaviors as a potential obesogenic factor in schizophrenia

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2018-11, Vol.269, p.450-454
• Main Authors: Kouidrat, Youssef, Amad, Ali, Stubbs, Brendon, Louhou, Rufin, Renard, Nathalie, Diouf, Momar, Lalau, Jean-Daniel, Loas, Gwenole
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antipsychotics; Body Mass Index; Cardiometabolic disorders; Case-Control Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Eating - psychology; Eating behaviors; Eating disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Obesity - psychology; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - complications; Schizophrenic Psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.083

•Schizophrenia is associated to high levels of obesity and metabolic disorders.•High rates of disordered eating behaviors may affect schizophrenia patients.•The contribution of disordered eating behaviors to an adverse cardiometabolic health appears important in this population.•More research is needed to help clarify the relationships between eating behaviors and weight-related outcomes in schizophrenia. Whilst people with schizophrenia have high levels of obesity and metabolic disease, our understanding of their eating behaviors is still limited. Our aim was to evaluate the relationships between eating behavior and clinical data in schizophrenia. A cross-sectional study including 66 schizophrenia outpatients compared to 81 healthy controls was undertaken. Eating behavior was assessed using the shortened 21-item version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21). The patients had a mean of 44 ± 11 years; a mean BMI of 30.3 ± 8 kg/m2 (vs. 24 ± 3.3 kg/m2 for controls) and a mean duration of illness of 7.2 ± 6 years. All mean TFEQ scores were significantly higher in patients (indicating poorer eating behaviors) compared to controls after adjustment for age and sex, BMI and smoking status. Among patients, mean TFEQ scores were not significantly different between men and women samples. The “cognitive restraint” factor was significantly higher in schizophrenia patients with a BMI  25. Our findings suggest that disordered eating behaviors affect schizophrenia patients regardless of gender or duration of disease compared to controls. More research is needed to help clarify the relationships between eating behaviors and weight-related outcomes in schizophrenia.