Abstract
Abstract
Background. Lifestyle interventions are important to improve the mental and physical health
outcomes of people with mental illness. However, referring patients to lifestyle interventions is
still not a common practice for mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) and their own lifestyle
habits may impact this. The aim of this study was to investigate MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits,
their lifestyle history and referral practices, and if these are associated with their lifestyle habits,
gender, and profession.
Methods. In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was distributed across relevant
MHCP’s in The Netherlands. Ordinal regression analyses on lifestyle habits, gender, profession,
and lifestyle history and referral practices were conducted.
Results. A total of the 1,607 included MHCPs, 87.6% finds that lifestyle should be part of every
psychiatric treatment, but depending on which lifestyle factor, 55.1–84.0% take a lifestyle
history, 29.7–41.1% refer to interventions, and less than half (44.2%) of smoking patients are
advised to quit. MHCPs who find their lifestyle important, who are physically more active,
females, and MHCPs with a nursing background take more lifestyle histories and refer more
often. Compared to current smokers, MHCPs who never or formerly smoked have higher odds
(2.64 and 3.40, respectively, p < 0.001) to advice patients to quit smoking.
Conclusions. This study indicates that MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, gender, and profession
affect their clinical lifestyle practices, and thereby the translation of compelling evidence on
lifestyle psychiatry to improved healthcare for patients.
Background. Lifestyle interventions are important to improve the mental and physical health
outcomes of people with mental illness. However, referring patients to lifestyle interventions is
still not a common practice for mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) and their own lifestyle
habits may impact this. The aim of this study was to investigate MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits,
their lifestyle history and referral practices, and if these are associated with their lifestyle habits,
gender, and profession.
Methods. In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was distributed across relevant
MHCP’s in The Netherlands. Ordinal regression analyses on lifestyle habits, gender, profession,
and lifestyle history and referral practices were conducted.
Results. A total of the 1,607 included MHCPs, 87.6% finds that lifestyle should be part of every
psychiatric treatment, but depending on which lifestyle factor, 55.1–84.0% take a lifestyle
history, 29.7–41.1% refer to interventions, and less than half (44.2%) of smoking patients are
advised to quit. MHCPs who find their lifestyle important, who are physically more active,
females, and MHCPs with a nursing background take more lifestyle histories and refer more
often. Compared to current smokers, MHCPs who never or formerly smoked have higher odds
(2.64 and 3.40, respectively, p < 0.001) to advice patients to quit smoking.
Conclusions. This study indicates that MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, gender, and profession
affect their clinical lifestyle practices, and thereby the translation of compelling evidence on
lifestyle psychiatry to improved healthcare for patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e96 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | European Psychiatry |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Dec 2023 |
Keywords
- cross-sectional study
- implementation
- lifestyle psychiatry
- mental health
- physical health