Obesity in individuals with schizophrenia: a case controlled study in Scotland.

BACKGROUND: Despite extensive clinical concern about rates of obesity in patients with schizophrenia, there is little evidence of the extent of this problem at a population level. AIMS: To estimate levels of obesity in a national population sample by comparing patients with schizophrenia with matched controls. METHOD: We calculated levels of obesity for each patient with schizophrenia from the national Primary Care Clinical Informatics Unit database (n=4658) matched with age, gender and neighbourhood controls. RESULTS: We demonstrated a significant increased obesity hazard for the schizophrenia group using Cox regression analysis, with odds ratio (OR) of 1.94 (95% CI 1.81-2.10) (under the assumption of missing body mass index (BMI) indicating non-obesity) and OR=1.68 (95% CI 1.55-1.81) where no assumptions were made for missing BMI data. CONCLUSIONS: People with schizophrenia are at increased risk of being obese compared with controls matched by age, gender and practice attended. Priority should be given to research which aims to reduce weight and increase activity in those with schizophrenia. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license.

Experience of an Inter-regional Research Symposium for Higher Psychiatric Trainees in Scotland.

OBJECTIVES: We present our experience of an annual research symposium for psychiatric trainees in Scotland. This paper aimed to consider trainees' involvement in research by examining firstly rates of publication and secondly the views of trainees. METHODS: A list of all presentations to the Senior Trainees' Annual Research Symposium (STARS) meetings 2007-2009 was compiled and a detailed search made of major research databases. A questionnaire survey examined the views of attendees at the 2009 meeting. RESULTS: Fifty percent of presented work achieved publication. Feedback from symposia attendees was almost universally positive. CONCLUSIONS: At a time of debate on the value of research sessions as part of higher training and a recent reduction in time allocated to research in the UK, we report on a thriving annual meeting. Research symposia for higher trainees were valued by participants and may be one useful means of encouraging trainee research.