Mitigating Weight Gain Side Effects by Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Youth Newly Prescribed Second-Generation Antipsychotic Medication

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by jayni

Antipsychotic medication (APM) can trigger weight gain, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias, and increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among youth. This randomized controlled trial tested a healthy lifestyle intervention—raising water intake, reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, and preventing unhealthy weight gain—among youth newly started on second-generation APM. Of 148 Medicaid-insured participants aged 8–17, the treatment arm received biweekly bottled water plus parental phone support via a family navigator. Outcomes included height/weight, dietary intake, and BMI z-score changes at baseline, 3 and 6 months.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

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Introduction

Antipsychotic medication and pediatric obesity risk

Article Mitigating Weight Gain Side Effects by Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Youth Newly Prescribed Second-Generation Antipsychotic Medication Kristin Bussell 1,2, *, Heidi Wehring 2, Susan dosReis 3, Raymond C. Love 3, Jason Schiffman 4,5, John Sorkin 6, Zhaoyong Feng 6, Sarah Edwards 2, Erin Hager 7,8, Elizabeth A. Dennis 9, Kathleen Connors 2, Kathryn McDonald 2, Meredith Roberts 2, Emily Wolfe 2, Shlomo Resnik 2 and Gloria Reeves 2 Academic Editor: Ming Li Received: 6 November 2025 Revised: 16 December 2025 Accepted: 17 December 2025 Published: 20 December 2025 Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Department of Family and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA 2 Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; [kconnors@som.umaryland.edu](kconnors@som.umaryland.edu) (K.C.); [meredith.roberts@som.umaryland.edu](meredith.roberts@som.umaryland.edu) (M.R.); [szresnik@gmail.com](szresnik@gmail.com) (S.R.); [greeves@som.umaryland.edu](greeves@som.umaryland.edu) (G.R.) 3 Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA 4 Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA 5 Department of Psychology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA 6 Department of Practice Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA 7 Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA 8 Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA 9 Department of Family Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA * Correspondence: [kristin.bussell@umaryland.edu](kristin.bussell@umaryland.edu); Tel.: +1-410-706-4392 Abstract Background: Antipsychotic medication (APM) can cause weight gain, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias, and an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among youth. The study sought to increase water consumption, reduce sugarsweetened beverage (SSB) intake, and prevent unhealthy weight gain via a healthy lifestyle intervention among youth newly started on a second-generation APM for psychiatric treatment. Methods: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 148 Medicaid-insured youth (ages 8–17) recently starting APM. The treatment group received both a biweekly home-delivery of bottled water and parental phone support from a family navigator. Inhome visits conducted at baseline, three months, and six months assessed the participants’height/weight and dietary intake. All participants received basic healthy lifestyle education emphasizing increased water intake and decreased SSB consumption. Longitudinal linear mixed models were conducted to examine between-group and within-group changes in BMI z-scores, and water/SSB intake. Results: No significant between-group differences in BMI z-score were found at three (p = 0.908) and six months (p = 0.919) . However, the within-group increase in BMI z-score in the control group was significant from baseline to three months (p = 0.029) . A between-group comparison found the treatment group significantly increased their water intake at three (p = 0.006) and six months (p = 0.002) . No between-group differences were identified at three and six months for the reduction in SSB, although the treatment group did demonstrate a decrease from baseline to three months (p = 0.004) . Conclusions: Neither group experienced unhealthy increases (>0.5%) in BMI z-score over the six months. Providing a safe/free water supply showed a superior improvement

FAQs

What problem does the study address for youth starting second-generation antipsychotic medication?

Second-generation antipsychotic medication can cause weight gain and metabolic complications in youth, increasing risks such as insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. The study targets unhealthy weight gain by focusing on beverage-related dietary changes.

How was the intervention delivered to the treatment group?

The treatment group received biweekly home delivery of bottled water and parental phone support from a family navigator. Both groups received basic healthy lifestyle education emphasizing more water and less sugar-sweetened beverages.

What were the main findings on BMI z-score and beverage intake after 3 and 6 months?

There were no significant between-group differences in BMI z-score at 3 and 6 months. The treatment group significantly increased water intake at both time points, while between-group differences in SSB reduction were not significant, though the treatment group showed an SSB decrease early from baseline to 3 months.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by jayni