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Cross-sectional associations of schoolchildren’s fruit and vegetable consumption, and meal choices, with their mental well-being: a cross-sectional study
This 2021 study investigated the relationship between dietary choices and mental well-being among schoolchildren in Norfolk, England. The authors feel that the contribution of nutrition to poor mental health is largely unexplored. This present study managed to gather data of 7570 secondary school and 1253 primary school children through a Children and Young People Health and Well-being Survey. Mental well-being was then assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale for secondary school pupils, and the Stirling Children’s Well-being Scale for the primary school pupils. Among secondary school students, there was a strong connection between higher combined fruit and vegetable consumption with greater mental well-being. In fact, those who ate 5+ fruits and veg scored 3.73 higher than those who reported no fruit and veg intake. In addition, secondary school children who skipped breakfast on average scored lower in well-being, compared with those who ate a conventional type of breakfast. Also, secondary school students who consumed energy drinks only scored lower in the mental health assessments, relative to conventional breakfast eaters. Similarly, those who skipped lunch showed lower well-being scores than those who consumed a packed lunch. Among primary school kids, the associations between breakfast/lunch and mental well-being were like those seen among the secondary school students, but there was no strong evidence of a link with fruit and vegetable intake. These findings highlight the importance of public health strategies promoting good nutrition to hopefully enhance the mental well-being of children. [NPID: children, nutrition, food choices, mental health, mental well-being, depression, anxiety, fruit and veg, fruits and vegetables, breakfast, skipping breakfast, energy drinks]
Year: 2021
