Background and Objectives: Studies have shown that people with schizophrenia die prematurely. Antipsychotic medications and clients’ lifestyle seem to be the contributing factors to excess morbidity and mortality in these clients. The objective of this study was to investigate different lifestyle parameters, diet, body mass index, smoking, and unemployment, among schizophrenic clients in Palestine. Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted between August 2011 and February 2012 at the governmental primary psychiatric health care centers in Northern West Bank, Palestine. Two hundred and fifty clients were selected by a convenience sampling method and different lifestyle parameters were measured among the selected clients. Results: Regression analysis showed that smoking, obesity, and unemployment were significantly high among schizophrenia clients with the majority of clients having unhealthy lifestyles. Conclusion: The compromised health conditions of schizophrenic clients could be due to poor nutritional status and unhealthy lifestyle. These findings suggest that schizophrenic clients need nutritional follow‑up as well as coaching to help them improve their lifestyle.

Title

European Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies 10/2014; 2014(1):16-21

Publisher

Wolters Kluwer Medknow

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

1

Year

2014

Pages

16-21