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Adults newly diagnosed with severe mental illness (SMI) gain almost four kilograms more than their peers within 15 years but are no more likely to be referred to structured weight-management programmes, finds new research from the University of Oxford.
The research, published today in The Lancet Psychiatry and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) , tracked 113,904 adults (including 23,025 with SMI matched to 90,879 without) across 1,454 GP practices. People with SMI gained 5.6 kilograms compared to 1.6kg in those without by year 15 – a difference of 4kg.
Twelve people with lived experience of SMI co-designed the study and advised on outcome selection, ensuring the research addressed real-world concerns about both physical health outcomes and service access.
Most concerning was the rapid weight gain in the crucial first five years after diagnosis, when people with SMI gained 4.9kg compared to 1.6kg in people without SMI – a difference of more than 3kg. This weight gain was most pronounced in younger adults aged 40 and under, and those taking antipsychotic medications.
After accounting for factors including age, sex, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and BMI, people with SMI and a BMI of 25 kg/m² or higher were 10% more likely than people without SMI to receive weight management advice from GPs (incidence rate ratio 1.10, 95% CI 1.07–1.13). However, they were no more likely to be referred to structured weight management programmes (incidence rate ratio 1.00, 95% CI 0.91–1.10), highlighting a significant gap between problem recognition and service provision.
Read the full story on the Department of Experimental Psychology website.