A Comparative Study of Physical Activity Level among Inpatients with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Aims: Regarding the low level of physical activity (PA) in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BD), our aim was to compare the level of PA between the two groups. Methods: In this cross‑sectional study, 100 patients with schizophrenia and 100 patients with BD were selected through convenience sampling in 2017. The level of PA was assessed using International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Chi‑square, extended Fisher’s exact, Student’s t, and Mann–Whitney tests were applied to analyze the data. Results: Prevalence of low PA in schizophrenic patients and BD was 36.7% and 30.3%, respectively. The frequency of moderate PA was less in schizophrenic patients than that in the BDpatients (56.1% and 65.7%, respectively) and vigorous PA was more frequent in schizophrenic patients than the BD individuals (7.1% and 4%, respectively) (P = 0.334). Schizophrenic patients had significantly fewer minutes of PA than that of the BD patients (P = 0.027). Minutes of vigorous PA were higher in schizophrenic patients, while BD patients had more minutes of moderate PA, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). BD patients had significantly more walking minutes than that of the schizophrenic patients (P = 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of inactivity was higher in schizophrenic patients than BD patients. This rate was high in both groups due tohospitalization, factors associated with the disease, or even lack of attention to these patients. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the physical health of these patients; also, psychiatric centers should take preventive and interventional measures in this regard

Keywords:

Bipolar disorder , physical activity , schizophrenia