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The relationships between a dietary pattern linked to cardiometabolic risk factors and life satisfaction in early adolescence
To better understand the extent to which dietary patterns of poor quality can affect the life satisfaction of Malaysian children, Appannah et al. (2020) investigated the relationship between the “high-sugar, high-fiber, high-dietary energy dense (DED) and low-fat” dietary pattern and life satisfaction scores. The 548 adolescent participants were recruited from randomly selected public schools in three southern states of Peninsular Malaysia. Validated food frequency questionnaires were completed to assess dietary consumption, while the subjects’ life satisfaction was measured using a Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). The mean and standard deviation life satisfaction scores were found to be higher in girls compared to boys. Also, the closer the girls’ diets were to the low-fat, sugar- and fiber- rich DED dietary pattern, the lower their scores for life satisfaction, and self and living environment domains were. Whereas, the boys who showed dietary patterns that more closely paralleled the previously mentioned dietary pattern scored higher in life satisfaction. These findings suggest that poorer life satisfaction is linked to a dietary pattern characterized by foods high in free sugar and energy dense in adolescents, especially in girls aged 13 years of age. [NPID: resilience, quality of life, life satisfaction, Malaysia, sugar, fiber, low fat, gender differences, girls]
Year: 2020
