The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands

Abstract Background Lifestyle interventions are important to improve the mental and physical health outcomes of people with mental illness. However, referring patients to lifestyle interventions is still not a common practice for mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) and their own lifestyle habi...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lisanne E.M. Koomen, Jeroen Deenik, Wiepke Cahn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2023-01-01
Series:European Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823024756/type/journal_article
_version_ 1797391424362119168
author Lisanne E.M. Koomen
Jeroen Deenik
Wiepke Cahn
author_facet Lisanne E.M. Koomen
Jeroen Deenik
Wiepke Cahn
author_sort Lisanne E.M. Koomen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Lifestyle interventions are important to improve the mental and physical health outcomes of people with mental illness. However, referring patients to lifestyle interventions is still not a common practice for mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) and their own lifestyle habits may impact this. The aim of this study was to investigate MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, their lifestyle history and referral practices, and if these are associated with their lifestyle habits, gender, and profession. Methods In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was distributed across relevant MHCP’s in The Netherlands. Ordinal regression analyses on lifestyle habits, gender, profession, and lifestyle history and referral practices were conducted. Results A total of the 1,607 included MHCPs, 87.6% finds that lifestyle should be part of every psychiatric treatment, but depending on which lifestyle factor, 55.1–84.0% take a lifestyle history, 29.7–41.1% refer to interventions, and less than half (44.2%) of smoking patients are advised to quit. MHCPs who find their lifestyle important, who are physically more active, females, and MHCPs with a nursing background take more lifestyle histories and refer more often. Compared to current smokers, MHCPs who never or formerly smoked have higher odds (2.64 and 3.40, respectively, p < 0.001) to advice patients to quit smoking. Conclusions This study indicates that MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, gender, and profession affect their clinical lifestyle practices, and thereby the translation of compelling evidence on lifestyle psychiatry to improved healthcare for patients.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T23:32:21Z
format Article
id doaj.art-15c3832f31c84390bbbb1eaf51b76918
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0924-9338
1778-3585
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T23:32:21Z
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format Article
series European Psychiatry
spelling doaj.art-15c3832f31c84390bbbb1eaf51b769182023-12-14T09:50:45ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852023-01-016610.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2475The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The NetherlandsLisanne E.M. Koomen0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1159-2972Jeroen Deenik1Wiepke Cahn2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-8759UMC Utrecht, dep. Psychiatry, Utrecht, The Netherlands Lister, Utrecht, The NetherlandsMaastricht University, Fac. Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht, The Netherlands GGz Centraal, dep. Research, Amersfoort, The NetherlandsUMC Utrecht, dep. Psychiatry, Utrecht, The Netherlands Altrecht Mental Health Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands Abstract Background Lifestyle interventions are important to improve the mental and physical health outcomes of people with mental illness. However, referring patients to lifestyle interventions is still not a common practice for mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) and their own lifestyle habits may impact this. The aim of this study was to investigate MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, their lifestyle history and referral practices, and if these are associated with their lifestyle habits, gender, and profession. Methods In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was distributed across relevant MHCP’s in The Netherlands. Ordinal regression analyses on lifestyle habits, gender, profession, and lifestyle history and referral practices were conducted. Results A total of the 1,607 included MHCPs, 87.6% finds that lifestyle should be part of every psychiatric treatment, but depending on which lifestyle factor, 55.1–84.0% take a lifestyle history, 29.7–41.1% refer to interventions, and less than half (44.2%) of smoking patients are advised to quit. MHCPs who find their lifestyle important, who are physically more active, females, and MHCPs with a nursing background take more lifestyle histories and refer more often. Compared to current smokers, MHCPs who never or formerly smoked have higher odds (2.64 and 3.40, respectively, p < 0.001) to advice patients to quit smoking. Conclusions This study indicates that MHCPs’ personal lifestyle habits, gender, and profession affect their clinical lifestyle practices, and thereby the translation of compelling evidence on lifestyle psychiatry to improved healthcare for patients. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823024756/type/journal_articlecross-sectional studyimplementationlifestyle psychiatrymental healthphysical health
spellingShingle Lisanne E.M. Koomen
Jeroen Deenik
Wiepke Cahn
The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
European Psychiatry
cross-sectional study
implementation
lifestyle psychiatry
mental health
physical health
title The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
title_full The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
title_fullStr The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
title_full_unstemmed The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
title_short The association between mental healthcare professionals’ personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices: a national cross-sectional study in The Netherlands
title_sort association between mental healthcare professionals personal characteristics and their clinical lifestyle practices a national cross sectional study in the netherlands
topic cross-sectional study
implementation
lifestyle psychiatry
mental health
physical health
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823024756/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT lisanneemkoomen theassociationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands
AT jeroendeenik theassociationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands
AT wiepkecahn theassociationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands
AT lisanneemkoomen associationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands
AT jeroendeenik associationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands
AT wiepkecahn associationbetweenmentalhealthcareprofessionalspersonalcharacteristicsandtheirclinicallifestylepracticesanationalcrosssectionalstudyinthenetherlands