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Despite their irrevocability in the therapeutics of mental illness, an antipsychotic drug has many side effects including change in the body composition. More specifically, atypical antipsychotics, such as, Olanazapin, were often associated with increased weight gain compared to conventional antipsychotics, risking patients to metabolic syndrome. Generally, there is lack of study concerning effects of antipsychotic drugs on body composition in low income setting. The aim of this study was to assess changes in body composition among psychiatric patients taking antipsychotic drugs.

A longitudinal study was conducted among 74 clients attending psychiatric clinic at Jimma university specialized hospital. A consecutive sampling method was applied. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences and skin fold thickness were measured before and after 12 weeks of therapy. A structured questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. The data were analysed using SPSS Version 20 for Windows. One way ANOVA, paired t-test, and independent t-test were applied to examine mean change in body composition indicators across the variables.