Inter relationship between diet and depression among adolescent males residing in urban areas.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In India, teenage malnourishment is becoming a growing public health issue. The WHO estimated that 20% of adolescents also struggle with mental health issues. There are a number of biological and behavioral reasons at play in the complex and varied association that exists between eating habits and depressive symptoms. This study aims to investigate the association between dietary habits and depression in urban adolescents in Telangana, India.

METHODLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 male adolescents aged 10-19 years, selected through multistage random sampling from local schools. A semi structured questionnaire was administered to collect demographic and socio-economic data initially, and then dietary behavior was assessed using self-reported eating habit questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. Depression among them was measured using the KADS, a self-report screening tool with 6-items.

RESULTS:  The mean age of the participants was 16.7 years, and the mean BMI of the subjects was 23.2. AEHQ showed that 63% of the subjects were consuming higher than RDA of fats, sweets, and meats and 42% are consuming lower than recommended servings of vegetables and fruits. Those with poor diets had a mean KAD score of 6.12, indicating higher depressive symptoms, compared to 5.35 for those with almost adequate diets and 5.28 for those with good diets (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight how crucial teenage eating habits are to the preservation of both physical and mental well-being. Improvements in nutrition and diet have the potential to be low-cost, acceptable, and safe therapies and treatments for adolescent depression.