Hostname: page-component-5b777bbd6c-rbv74 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-24T19:26:18.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Management of Metabolic Health Syndrome: A Pilot Study in the Early Intervention Service

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2025

Elishba Chacko
Affiliation:
SHSC, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Reem Abed
Affiliation:
SHSC, Sheffield, United Kingdom
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Aims: Educating patients about metabolic side effects.

Empowering patients with knowledge and skills to make informed lifestyle choices.

Implementing personalised lifestyle interventions to improve metabolic health parameters.

Monitoring progress to facilitate long-term adherence to healthy behaviours.

Methods: Patients between 18–65 years.

Symptoms of metabolic syndrome i.e. high blood pressure, low HDL, truncal obesity, high triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose.

Patients currently/historically on antipsychotic medication.

Patients who have at least a year left in the service were included in the pilot.

Relative stability in mental health i.e. ability to engage with physical health appointments.

Results: The pilot concluded that patients benefited from tailored lifestyle interventions, giving them a sense of purpose and accountability.

There were significant changes in waist/circumference ratio; with noted improvement. Waist mean change = −5 cm (−6%); Waist:height mean change =−0.03 (−6%).

There were significant changes in weight: 5 individuals lost weight and improved their BMI; 2 individuals improved from overweight >normal.

There were no significant changes in biochemical markers.

A larger sample is required for a longer duration to study the impact of lifestyle interventions.

Conclusion: Small sample size – risk of bias, limited generalizability. Measurements for waist circumference might be prone to error as there is variation in the method of measurement i.e. over or under clothing. Blood results were inconclusive, perhaps the focus of the second phase should be waist circumference since there was marked change and measurable.

Clients would benefit from maintaining a food/mood diary and attending a briefing group at the start of the study to understand the basic principles of nutrition and the digestion process.

Type
Quality Improvement
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

Abstracts were reviewed by the RCPsych Academic Faculty rather than by the standard BJPsych Open peer review process and should not be quoted as peer-reviewed by BJPsych Open in any subsequent publication.

Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.