Individuals with SMI die 10-25 years earlier than the general population and have disproportionately greater rates of medical comorbidity and disability associated with high rates of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, metabolic syndrome, and poor dietary habits. Despite greater costs and adverse outcomes associated with the combination of mental illness and poor physical health, little attention has been paid to the development of health promotion interventions designed to address the needs of the high-risk group of people with SMI. This natural experiment presents an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate the public health impact of a statewide health-promotion program for persons with SMI, a potential model for reducing early mortality among persons with SMI served by state mental-health systems nationwide.
