Low rate of obesity among psychiatric inpatients in Indonesia.

Objective: A vast majority of psychiatric medication causes weight gain, however the rate of obesity in psychiatric patients has yet to be thoroughly studied in Indonesia. The present study aims to assess the prevalence of obesity among psychiatric inpatients in Indonesia.

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Banda Aceh Psychiatric Hospital, Indonesia from December 2012 to January 2013. The Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure of a total 242 inpatients was measured, and data on their demographic information and medication were collected from the patient's chart.

Results: The prevalence rate of obesity among psychiatric inpatients was 5% (95% CI = 2.6-8.5%), and overweight was 8% (95% CI = 5.1-12.4). The mean BMI was 21.44 kg/m² (SD: 3.43). Stage I hypertension and stage II hypertension was found among 7% (95% CI = 4.1-11), and 2% (95% CI = 0.9-5.3%) inpatients, respectively.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the rate of overweight, obesity and hypertension in the present study population was relatively low compared to rates of the general population. The inpatients have limited access to food and only eat meals that are provided to them by the hospital.