Navigation
Dietary patterns, breakfast consumption, meals with family and associations with common mental disorders in adolescents: a school-based cross-sectional study
Adolescents suffer several vulnerabilities throughout this transitionary period of their lives, including mental health challenges. In this cross-sectional study by Gratão et al. (2022), the authors investigated the links between dietary habits, eating breakfast, having meals with family members, and the prevalence of common mental health derangements in adolescents. Data on a population of 71,553 Brazilian adolescents (12-17 years of age) was extrapolated from the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents, revealing that participating adolescents followed one of two distinct dietary patterns: a healthy pattern (inclusive of a higher consumption of vegetables, cereals, meats and legumes) and an unhealthy pattern (with higher intake of sweetened beverages, chips, candies, stuffed sweet cookies, and a lower intake of fresh fruits). Adolescents in the second or third quartiles of the healthy dietary pattern were found to exhibit a lower incidence of common mental health disorders, an effect that was also seen with increasing the frequency of having breakfast or enjoying meals with family members. Thus, the authors conclude that adopting a healthy dietary pattern is linked to improved mental health outcomes in adolescents, which should be the subject of health promotion efforts. [NPID: Mental health, adolescence, public health, food habits, eating behaviors]
Year: 2022
