Programme to promote healthy lifestyle habits for people with severe mental disorder in a community mental health unit

Abstract

The design of a health promotion programme in the community setting is presented, with the aim of teaching patients with severe mental disorder (SMD) strategies that allow them to improve their lifestyles to help them gain well-being by providing information on healthy lifestyle habits. The target population of our programme are patients with a clinical diagnosis included among those considered SMD according to the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) who attend the Community Mental Health Unit (CMHU) of Dos Hermanas (Seville). The programme consists of six sessions delivered by volunteer nurses and nurse residents. It will be carried out over six weeks with weekly sessions of about 60-90 minutes, held within the centre’s working hours (mornings). The purpose of the programme is that participants not only acquire basic knowledge about healthy lifestyle habits but also promote the acquisition of skills and a change of attitudes that allow them to incorporate what they have learned into their daily routine and achieve healthier lifestyles that help them improve their quality of life. To create this programme, a literature search was carried out in order to obtain documentation and information with scientific evidence. The importance of launching our health promotion programme lies in the high prevalence in our setting of mental disorders and in the impact that these disorders cause on the people who suffer from them, their families and their closest environment. Likewise, people with SMD constitute an especially vulnerable population, associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as a shorter life expectancy than that of the general population, all derived from somatic problems that do not receive adequate healthcare. For all these reasons, it is important to promote healthier lifestyles, the promotion of the physical health of people with SMD being considered a priority line of intervention related to their possibilities of quality of life and well-being.