Food Intake and Mental Health Among Middle School Students in Shandong Province: A Network Analysis

Food Intake and Mental Health Among Middle School Students

This research article investigates the complex relationships between food intake and mental health among middle school students aged 11-18 in Shandong Province through a network analysis model. A total of 6,179 students participated, with dietary and mental health assessments conducted using the modified Chinese Diet Quality Questionnaire (DQQ) and the Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90). The findings reveal that the frequency of egg consumption emerged as the most significant dietary factor, while obsessive-compulsive symptoms exhibited the highest bridge strength in terms of their relationship with dietary intake. Notably, the strongest correlation identified was between ‘Frequency of eating eggs in the last week’ (FI-9) and ‘Obsessive compulsive’ (SCL-2), with a weight of 0.09. This study highlights the intricate pathways linking specific dietary practices, such as egg and fruit consumption, to the manifestation of psychological symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. The results suggest that medical professionals could utilize the centrality and bridging centrality indices derived from this network analysis to implement targeted interventions aimed at mitigating the comorbidity of eating disorders and mental health issues among adolescents. [NPID: food, mental health, students, egg, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety].

Year: 2025

Reference: Yao, Y., Liao, B., Feng, J., Tang, S., Zhang, Z., Yang, D., Yin, X., Xie, J., Yang, L., & Yin, W. (2025). Food intake and mental health among middle school students in Shandong Province: A network analysis. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 18, 1839–1852. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S537043

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