Dietary intake of schizophrenic patients in Nithsdale, Scotland: case-control study

Abstract

The study took place in Nithsdale, south west Scotland. It focused on schizophrenic patients living in accommodation provided by the Dumfries and Galloway Mental Health Association. Their position in the community had been assessed by social services as sufficiently precarious for them to need additional support. The residents, however, are encouraged to be responsible for their own domestic chores, including shopping and cooking. Each patient was matched with a normal control for sex, age, smoking status (smoker v non-smoker), and employment status—variables that affect a person's diet. All patients were unemployed.