Diet and Exercise Behavioral Intervention Reduces Risk of Heart Disease in Schizophrenic Patients (2012)
Undergraduate: Andrei Stefanescu
Faculty Advisor: Robert Hamer
Department: Biostatistics
People with schizophrenia are at increased risk of developing heart disease due to lifestyle factors and medication side effects. The Comparison of Antipsychotics for Metabolic Problems study indicated that switching antipsychotic medication from olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone to aripiprazole reduces heart disease risk. Participants completed a behavioral intervention to address lifestyle factors associated with cardiovascular risk. We examined the behavioral intervention to determine its effects on heart disease risk and associated variables.
Participants were grouped by whether they switched medications (switch) or remained on incoming medication (stay). The ten-year risk of developing heart disease was significantly reduced in all groups. In the stay group, LDL cholesterol and fasting glucose changed significantly. The switch group additionally showed significant changes in weight and triglycerides. Significant relationships between adherence and changes in triglycerides and systolic blood pressure appeared in the stay group but not in the switch group.
Our study offers evidence that behavioral interventions that target diet and exercise reduce the risk of heart disease. In a post hoc analysis of adherence, we found significant differences between adherence groups for changes in weight, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure only in the switch group. Our study is thus inconclusive about the effects of adherence on cardiovascular risk.