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Diet quality and mental health problems in adolescents from East London: a prospective study

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between diet quality and depression in a prospective study of adolescents from varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Design

In this prospective cohort study, data were collected at two time points (2001 and 2003) from nearly 3,000 adolescents, aged either 11–12 years or 13–14 years, participating in RELACHS, a study of ethnically diverse and socially deprived young people from East London in the UK. Diet quality was measured from dietary questionnaires, and mental health assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ).

Results

In cross-sectional analyses, we found evidence for an association between an unhealthy diet and mental health problems. Compared to those in the lowest quintile of Unhealthy diet score, those in the highest quintile were more than twice as likely to be symptomatic on the SDQ (OR 2.10, 95 %CI 1.38–3.20) after taking all identified confounders into account. There was also some evidence for a cross-sectional inverse association between a measure of healthy diet and mental health problems. A prospective relationship between the highest quintiles of both Healthy (OR 0.63, 95 %CI 0.38–1.05) and Unhealthy (OR 1.75, 95 %CI 1.00–3.06) diet scores and SDQ scores at follow-up was also evident, but was attenuated by final adjustments for confounders.

Conclusion

This study is concordant with previous observational studies in describing relationships between measures of diet quality and mental health problems in adolescents.

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Abbreviations

SDQ:

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

SMFQ:

Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire

OR:

Odds ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

BMI:

Body Mass Index

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the support of the schools, parents and students involved in this study, as well as the Community Advisory Board. We also thank the field team, including Wendy Isenwater, Giash Ahmed, Sarah Brentnall, Sultana Choudry-Dormer, Franca Davenport, Davina Woodley-Jones, Amanda Lawrence, Rachel Cameron and Hannah Bennett. Phase 1 of the RELACHS study was commissioned by the East London and the City Health Authority and Phase 2 by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit at the Department of Health: we thank them for their support. We also thank Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney and Newham Primary Care Trusts for additional funding. Associate Professor Jacka was the recipient of post-graduate scholarship funding from Australian Rotary Health and is supported by a NH&MRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship (#628912). Dr Rothon is funded by a Medical Research Council Special Training Fellowship (G0601707).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deakin University, School of Medicine, Geelong, Australia

    Felice N. Jacka & Michael Berk

  2. Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Centre for Psychiatry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Catherine Rothon & Stephen A. Stansfeld

  3. Institute of Health Sciences Education, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Stephanie Taylor

Authors
  1. Felice N. Jacka
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  2. Catherine Rothon
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  3. Stephanie Taylor
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  4. Michael Berk
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  5. Stephen A. Stansfeld
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Correspondence to Felice N. Jacka.

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Jacka, F.N., Rothon, C., Taylor, S. et al. Diet quality and mental health problems in adolescents from East London: a prospective study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 1297–1306 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0623-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0623-5

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