Abstract
Objective: The data on the relationship between the patterns of food intake and mental health in adolescence is insufficient. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between patterns of food intake and depressive tendencies in university students.
Methods: Self-administered questionnaires, consisting of measures of food ingestion frequency, mental health, and lifestyle, were completed by 269 university students (men = 80; women = 189) in Japan. Patterns of food intake were extracted by factor analysis based on the food intake frequency data. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between patterns of food intake and mental health.
Results: Three patterns of food intake were identified through factor analysis: “eating vegetables in high frequency as side dishes,” “eating meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently,” and “eating staple foods.” A significant negative correlation was observed between “eating meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently” and mental health problems.
Conclusions: This study found low depressive tendencies in university students who ate meats, eggs, fats, and potatoes frequently.
