Perceptions and Experiences of body Weight and Food Intake in Patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the Perceptions and Experiences related to body weight and food intake of Patients on Antipsychotics: A Qualitative Study of Patients in Sheffield
IRAS ID
322772
Contact name
Jennifer Burr
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 13 days
Research summary
Weight gain and non-communicable diseases are significant side effects seen in patients on long-term antipsychotic treatment. Identifying practical and sustainable approaches for maintaining body weight is crucial for the good physical and mental health of these patients. Effective strategies for this are based on patient-centred approaches, and understanding patient perspectives is therefore crucial for this. The aim of this study is to shed light on the perceptions, knowledge and experience of weight gain of patients in Sheffield prescribed antipsychotics. The study will aim to understand their knowledge on healthy eating and how the medication has impacted on food intake, and barriers and challenges to weight maintenance. Up to ten participants will be recruited from patients who are attending Sheffield’s Early Intervention Service (Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust) and have a history of weight gain as a result of taking antipsychotic medication. Following consent, the participants will be invited to take part in an individual interview with one of the two researchers who will be collecting data in the study. The interviews will last approximately 45 minutes and will take place in a Trust site. The interviews will follow a semi-structured format where a series of open-ended questions on the perceptions and experiences of participants around body weight, eating habits, and weight control will be asked. Follow-up questions and prompts will be used to collect in-depth information. The interviews will be recorded to help with collating the data later. The interview recordings will be transcribed by the research team, and then analysed using standard methods to identify themes that will help us understand how antipsychotic medications have affected body weight and food intake of the participants. The study will generate valuable data that will inform the development of practical approaches for helping patients prescribed antipsychotics in Sheffield.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0095
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion