The benefits of physical activity and structured aerobic exercise have been established in the general population as well as in people with schizophrenia. Exercise interventions have the potential to improve cognition and alleviate psychopathological symptoms as well as improve the physical health in this population. As much as the body of work in this research area has grown, there are still many questions to answer. In this symposium we will try to shed further light on basic mechanisms of how the impact of different exercise regimes might work and, even more important, how to implement exercise into the treatment schedule of our patients. John Engh will show first results of the impact of a high-intensity interval training, which means the implementation of anaerobic spurts into the endurance training. Berend Malchow focused in his recent work on the impact of resistance training alone on the well-being and psychosocial functioning of people with schizophrenia and how to implement it without having to go to a gymnasium on a regular basis. Wiepke Cahn will shift the focus of the symposium to the relationship between low physical activity and low cardiorespiratory fitness and mental and physical health in people with schizophrenia. Joseph Firth will present findings from the Lancet Psychiatry Commission on 'Lifestyle Psychiatry' to protect physical health and summarize advances in understanding on this topic and present clear directions for evidence based interventions in this field.
13:10 Uhr
Effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiorespiratory fitness in people with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial
John A. Engh, Tønsberg (Norway)
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John A. Engh, Tønsberg (Norway)
Exercise may improve cardiorespiratory fitness in people with schizophrenia. However, possible condition specific cardiorespiratory disadvantages, a scarcity of methodologically sound studies, and conflicting results raise questions about the effect of exercise on maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) in this group. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training on VO2 max in people with schizophrenia. Eighty-two patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to supervised high-intensity interval training or computer gaming skills training, performed twice a week for 12 weeks. Oxygen uptake was measured directly, during a maximum exercise session on a treadmill. There were no significant differences between the groups on any of the cardiorespiratory variables neither at baseline nor after the program. There were also no significant within-group differences in any of the cardiorespiratory fitness variables between the baseline and post-program time points, despite that 61% of the participants performing high-intensity interval training showed a significant increase in workload on the treadmill. However, 47% of the participants in the high-intensity interval training group had a ≥ 5% increase in VO2 max. Participants supervised by mental health care providers with physical activity competence (e.g. rehabilitation center staff, sport scientist, physical trainer) had a significantly larger increase in VO2 max compared to participants supervised by mental health workers without such competence, and when adding physical activity competence to the model, the intervention group increased VO2 max significantly compared to the comparison group. The intervention did not improve VO2 max, but succeeded in increasing workload on the treadmill. With regard to VO2 max, approximately half of the patients may be considered responders.