Objective: Schizophrenia patients have in many aspects an unhealthier lifestyle than the general population. The aim of this study is to determine if disadvantageous health habits of schizophrenia patients present a general pattern that repeats itself in other regions and if psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia (singleness, unemployment) influence patients' health habits.
Methods: 95 schizophrenia outpatients from Germany and 97 from Austria were examined regarding eating-, drinking-, smoking- and physical-activity habits. Differences in health habits and the influence of psychosocial parameters were examined with regression analyses.
Results: Health habits of schizophrenia patients in Germany and Austria were very similar. Subjects from Austria lived unhealthier only regarding cigarette consumption and grocery choices, while they had a healthier lifestyle regarding physical activity on the weekend. Singleness had no influence on health habits, unemployment was connected with less physical activity on workdays.
Conclusions: Health habits of schizophrenia patients seem to have a general pattern, but psychosocial consequences of schizophrenia explain little about the patients' health habits.