Facilitating Partner Support for Lifestyle Change Among Adults with Serious Mental Illness: A Feasibility Pilot Study. - PubMed - NCBI

Facilitating Partner Support for Lifestyle Change Among Adults with Serious Mental Illness: A Feasibility Pilot Study. - PubMed - NCBI

Community Ment Health J. 2017 May;53(4):394-404. doi: 10.1007/s10597-017-0100-4. Epub 2017 Feb 7.

Facilitating Partner Support for Lifestyle Change Among Adults with Serious Mental Illness: A Feasibility Pilot Study.

Aschbrenner KA1,2,3, Mueser KT4, Naslund JA5,6, Gorin AA7, Zawacki SA4, Pratt SI5,8, Kinney A5,6, Bartels S5,6,8,9.

Author information

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of an intervention designed to facilitate partner support for lifestyle change among overweight and obese adults with serious mental illness (SMI). Fifteen adults with SMI enrolled in a lifestyle intervention at community mental health centers participated with a self-selected partner in an additional 12-week intervention component designed to facilitate social support for health behavior change. Participants reported that the program was useful, convenient, and helped them reach their goals. Approximately two-thirds (66%) of participants were below their baseline weight at follow-up, including 27% achieving clinically significant weight loss. Participants reported significant increases in partner support for exercise and use of persuasive social support strategies. Partner support interventions that promote exercising together and positive communication may be effective for helping individuals with SMI initiate and sustain health behavior change necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk.

KEYWORDS:

Lifestyle intervention; Serious mental illness; Social support; Weight loss

PMID:

 

28176207

 

PMCID:

 

PMC5510867

 

DOI:

 

10.1007/s10597-017-0100-4

[Indexed for MEDLINE] 

Free PMC Article