Improving Heart and Metabolic Health in People With Severe Mental Illness Through a Long-term Clinical Trial

Longitudinal Approach to Generate Positive Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes in Severe Mental Illness

Background Cardiometabolic conditions-including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity-are highly prevalent among individuals with psychotic disorders. These conditions contribute substantially to reduced life expectancy, diminished quality of life, and increased societal and economic burdens. Thus, effective, individualized interventions are urgently needed. Outpatient psychiatric clinics offer an ideal setting for such efforts owing to regular patient contact and access to multidisciplinary care. We have developed a comprehensive, clinically integrated trial aimed at improving cardiometabolic health, promoting healthier lifestyles, and enhancing quality of life for individuals with psychotic disorders receiving care in the Greater Gothenburg region.

Methods LAGOM is a multicenter, naturalistic, quasi-experimental case-control trial conducted across six geographically separate outpatient psychosis clinics within the Department of Psychotic Disorders at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, a multi-site university hospital in the Greater Gothenburg region. A total of 650 adults with psychotic disorders will be recruited from these clinics. Two clinics will implement the LAGOM intervention, whereas four will serve as control sites delivering usual care. The intervention is embedded within routine psychiatric care and grounded in behavioral science. It includes comprehensive cardiometabolic risk assessments, two visual motivational tools (QRISK3 and a body composition analyzer), personalized follow-up plans, risk-oriented referrals to primary care, and structured education for patients, relatives, and staff. The intervention is designed to be scalable, sustainable, and tailored to individual patient needs.

Discussion If proven superior to usual care, this pragmatic, multicomponent intervention-delivered within routine psychiatric care-could improve cardiometabolic health and quality of life for individuals with psychotic disorders. Embedding the intervention within existing clinical structures enhances its scalability and feasibility and, if effective, could serve as a model for wider implementation.

Inclusion criteria

1. Adults ≥18 years of age meeting the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic criteria for any one of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders (F20-F25 or F28-F29)
2. Ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

1. Having an electrical medical implant such as a pacemaker or other mechanical implants
2. Pregnancy
3. Deemed unsuitable by the investigator: A person may be deemed unsuitable for participation if circumstances prevent safe or reliable participation in the trial. Examples include inability or unwillingness to maintain contact with the clinic (e.g., absence of a stable address or telephone number), planned relocation or transfer to another treatment facility, municipality, or country during the trial period, mobility limitations or other practical barriers preventing attendance at clinic visits, or administrative restrictions preventing appropriate documentation in medical records or trial databases (e.g., protected or anonymous identity status). Such decisions are made on an individual basis in consultation with the clinical team (case manager (CM), treating psychiatrist, and site principal investigator (PI)) to ensure patient safety and trial integrity.
4. Prior participation in the LAGOM trial during a previous inclusion cycle (i.e., participants can only be included once during the trial period).
5. Currently under compulsory care.