Longitudinal associations between psychological well-being and the consumption of fruits and vegetables

Eat healthy, feel better: Are differences in employees' longitudinal healthy-eating trajectories reflected in better psychological well-being?

Eating healthily in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption has beneficial effects for employees and their organisations. Yet, we know little about how employees' eating behaviour develops over longer periods of time (trajectories) as well as about how subgroups of employees in these trajectories differ (trajectory classes). Gaining such insights is critical to understand how employees address healthy eating recommendations over time as well as to develop individualised interventions that also consider the development of healthy eating (i.e. improvement versus impairment beyond mean levels). We analysed panel data (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences) from 1054 employees by means of growth mixture modelling. Our analyses revealed three relevant classes of healthy-eating trajectories: a favourable trajectory class, an unfavourable trajectory class and a strongly improving trajectory class. Furthermore, unfavourable healthy-eating trajectories were especially critical with respect to impaired psychological well-being. Specifically, we found robust results for impaired positive and negative affects, but not for self-esteem, in the unfavourable trajectory class. We discuss limitations and implications of these findings, thereby encouraging research and practice to further consider such fine-grained approaches (i.e. focusing on subgroups within a larger population) when addressing healthy-eating promotion over time.

The mediating effect of health behaviors on the association between job strain and mental health outcome: a national survey of police officers

Police officers often face emotionally challenging interpersonal situations and numerous studies have demonstrated that policing is a stressful occupation. A study revealed a significant positive correlation between emotional demands among police officers and emotional dissonance, as well as burnout. Health-promoting behaviors can contribute to better overall health outcomes and reduce the risk of developing health problems, but there is limited research evaluating the association of job strain and health behaviors with mental health outcomes in police officers. The objective of this study was to assess the job strain associated with mental health mediated by health behaviors in Taiwanese police officers. This was a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted in Oct 2016. A total of 41,871 police officers (response rate was 79.7%) participated questionnaire that consisted of demographic information, job characteristics, health behaviors, and mental component summary (MCS) scores of the Short-Form Health Survey. Independent t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA) were conducted to assess the differences in mean MCS scores across various demographics, health behavior, and job characteristics. Multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between job strain and health behaviors with mental health outcomes. MCS scores were associated with job characteristics and health behaviors among police officers except for gender. After adjusting for covariates, multivariate analysis indicated that police officers with high job demands and high job strain index exhibited poor MCS scores. Job strain was significantly associated with MCS mediated by health behaviors (consumption of fruits and vegetables, and physical activity) in Taiwanese police officers. Since regular physical activity and increased vegetable and fruit consumption might alleviate the effects of job strain on mental health status, it is recommended that institutional policies be established to promote health-enhancing behaviors among police officers.

The Effect of Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce on the Sense of Coherence and Psychological Well-being of Adolescents with a Parent with Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background

Having a parent with cancer is one of the risk factors for adolescents, which makes them face many psychological problems. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce on the sense of coherence and psychological well-being of adolescents who have a parent with cancer.

Methods

In this randomized clinical trial study, 92 adolescents whose diagnosed parents have referred to the oncology ward of Shahid Rajaei Hospital in Yasuj, from June to September 2021, were selected through the convenience sampling method; however, they were randomly assigned to one of the two groups of the intervention or control. The number of sessions in the intervention group was 6, each consisting of 60 minutes and performed one day a week for 6 weeks. In addition to the demographic information form, the Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire-13 and the Ryff's scale of Psychological Well-being-18 were used before and immediately after the intervention. Data were analyzed through SPSS software, version 21, using statistical tests of Chi-square, t-test, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon.

Results

After the intervention, statistically significant differences were observed in the median scores of the sense of coherence (P<0.001) and psychological well-being (P<0.001) between the two groups of intervention and control.

Conclusion

Although the Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce could improve the sense of coherence and psychological well-being of adolescents who have a parent with cancer, more investigations are recommended to be conducted.Trial Registration Number: IRCT20210331050795N1.

Does fruit and vegetable consumption impact mental health? Systematic review and meta-analyses of published controlled intervention studies

Associations between fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and mental health are suggested, largely from observational studies. This systematic review aimed to identify and summarise all published controlled intervention studies investigating the effects of FV consumption on mental health in adults. Four academic databases (Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science) were searched on 16 September 2022, over all years, for studies that used an intervention design; included FV consumption; included an appropriate non-FV-consumption control; used a validated measure of mental health and were conducted in healthy adults or adults with solely a depressive or anxiety-related condition. Study details were tabulated and combined using meta-analyses. Risk of bias was assessed using the domains of the Cochrane Collaboration. Six studies, enrolling 691 healthy adults and reporting on one or more mental health outcomes, were found. Meta-analyses found small and imprecise effects of FV consumption for: psychological well-being (4 studies, 289 participants) standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0·07 (95 % CI -0·17, 0·30), P = 0·58, I2 = 0 %; depressive symptomology (3 studies, 271 participants) SMD = -0·15 (95 % CI -0·40, 0·10), P = 0·23, I2 = 47 % and anxiety-related symptomology (4 studies, 298 participants) SMD = -0·15 (95 % CI -0·39, 0·08), P = 0·20, I2 = 71 %. Some benefit for psychological well-being was found in change-from-baseline data: SMD = 0·28 (95 % CI 0·05, 0·52), P = 0·02, I2 = 0 %. Risk of bias was high in many studies. Limitations include the consideration only of published studies and stem from the studies found. Given the few, limited studies available and the small size of effects, stronger evidence is needed before recommending FV consumption for mental health.

Contribution of Fruits and Vegetables to the Household Food Security Situation of Rural Households in Limpopo

Food insecurity continues to be a burden for many South Africans. The production and consumption of fruits and vegetables have a potential role in improving household food security and are considered one of the critical pathways for reducing food insecurity and malnutrition levels in the country. This paper set out to determine the effect of fruits and vegetables on the food security status of rural households in the Limpopo province. Data (secondary) for this study were collected from 2043 respondents who were selected through stratified random selection based on the population size of the district municipalities in Limpopo. This study used a quantitative research approach, and data were analyzed using a descriptive analysis, the household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS), and a Poisson regression model with an endogenous treatment model. The findings revealed that gender and involvement in agricultural production had a positive significant relationship with the consumption of fruits and vegetables, while disability grants had a negative impact. Age, household size, and receiving a disability grant had a positive significant impact on determining the household food insecurity status; however, gender had a negative significant relationship. This study concluded that the consumption of fruits and vegetables considerably influenced the food security status of the household. There is a need for government officials and local leaders to provide food security interventions that prioritize women and elders. These may include promoting household production and consumption of diversified fruits and vegetables.

Higher well-being individuals are more receptive to cultivated meat: An investigation of their reasoning for consuming cultivated meat

It is evident that over-consumption of meat can contribute to the emission of hazardous greenhouse gases. One viable way to address such climate impact is to make people become more aware of more sustainable diet options, such as cultivated meat. However, it is challenging to instigate change in people's meat-eating habit, and empirical works have been examining the psychological factors that are related to consumers' willingness to consume cultivated meat. Research has suggested that psychological well-being can play a role in the meaning-making of food consumption, with higher well-being individuals showing more recognition of other sociocultural benefits of consuming food beyond just fulfilling their sustenance needs. As existing works have yet to understand the link between well-being and consumption of novel foods, the current research set out to fill this gap by examining the relationship between people's psychological well-being and their willingness to consume cultivated meat via different reasons (mediators) for consuming cultivated meat. We recruited a representative sample of 948 adults in Singapore to complete an online survey. The study offered the first evidence that there is a positive relationship between people's psychological well-being and their willingness to consume cultivated meat. Further, results revealed that their higher willingness can be motivated by the perception that cultivated meat is as healthy and nutritious, as safe as, and has the same sensory quality as real meat, and is beneficial to the society. This investigation adds to the growing literature on consumer acceptance of cultivated meat by showing the novel finding that well-being and receptivity to cultivated meat is positively linked, and such a positive link can be explained by people's better recognition of the prospective benefits offered by this alternative food.

Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Associated to Fruits and Vegetables Consumption in Elderly Europeans: A Systematic Review

Several epidemiological studies stress the association between a diet based on high fruits and vegetables intake and a better health condition. However, elderly Europeans cannot manage the recommended fruits and vegetables consumption. This systematic review aims to explore the main factors related to fruits and vegetables consumption in elderly Europeans. We conducted literature searches on Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to May 2022. Published articles including data related to certain fruits and vegetables consumption among elderly Europeans were selected. The New Castle-Ottawa Scale and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute tools were used for methodological quality assessment by two authors independently. A total of 60 articles were retrieved, and data from twenty-one high-quality cross-sectional studies and five moderate-to-high-quality cohort studies, including a total of 109,516 participants, were synthesized. Associated factors mostly analyzed were those relating to demographic and socioeconomic status, such as sex, age, marital status, educational level, and income. However, the findings show a high discrepancy. Some evidence suggests a possible positive association, while other evidence shows an inverse or no association at all. The relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors with fruits and vegetables consumption is not at all clear. More epidemiological studies with an appropriate design and corresponding statistical methods are required.

Child psychological well-being and adult health behavior and body mass index

OBJECTIVE

Psychological well-being (PWB) is linked with health behaviors among adults, but it is unclear if childhood PWB prospectively predicts healthy adulthood biobehavioral profiles. Such evidence may identify developmental windows for establishing positive health trajectories across the lifespan. Using data spanning 30 years, we investigated whether PWB at age 11 was associated with health behaviors and body mass index (BMI) at ages 33 and 42. We hypothesized children with higher versus lower PWB would engage in healthier behaviors, have lower BMI in adulthood, and be more likely to maintain optimal levels over time.

METHOD

Data were from 4,728 participants of the 1958 National Child Development Study. At age 11, participants wrote an essay about how they imagined their lives at age 25. Two judges rated each essay for multiple facets of PWB, which were combined into a summary score (Cronbach's α = .91). At ages 33 and 42, participants reported on cigarette smoking, physical activity, and diet; BMI was also assessed. Regression models evaluated PWB's association with adult outcomes at each follow-up, and with patterns over time.

RESULTS

Child PWB was unassociated with smoking in adulthood. However, greater child PWB was associated with healthier adult physical activity, diet, and BMI when adjusting for sex. Child PWB was associated with the likelihood of maintaining optimal BMI in adulthood, but not with maintaining healthy behaviors. Some associations were not independent of other childhood covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

Early life lays the foundation for lifelong health. Childhood PWB may contribute to healthier behaviors and BMI in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of psychological wellbeing with COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality in adults aged 50 years or older from 25 European countries and Israel

Background

Lower psychological wellbeing is associated with poor outcomes in a variety of diseases and healthy populations. However, no study has investigated whether psychological wellbeing is associated with the outcomes of COVID-19. This study aimed to determine whether individuals with lower psychological wellbeing are more at risk for poor outcomes of COVID-19.

Methods

Data were from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2017 and SHARE's two COVID-19 surveys in June-September 2020 and June-August 2021. Psychological wellbeing was measured using the CASP-12 scale in 2017. The associations of the CASP-12 score with COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality were assessed using logistic models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, household income, education level, and chronic conditions. Sensitivity analyses were performed by imputing missing data or excluding cases whose diagnosis of COVID-19 was solely based on symptoms. A confirmatory analysis was conducted using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Data analysis took place in October 2022.

Results

In total, 3,886 individuals of 50 years of age or older with COVID-19 were included from 25 European countries and Israel, with 580 hospitalized (14.9%) and 100 deaths (2.6%). Compared with individuals in tertile 3 (highest) of the CASP-12 score, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of COVID-19 hospitalization were 1.81 (95% CI, 1.41-2.31) for those in tertile 1 (lowest) and 1.37 (95% CI, 1.07-1.75) for those in tertile 2. As for COVID-19 mortality, the adjusted ORs were 2.05 (95% CI, 1.12-3.77) for tertile 1 and 1.78 (95% CI, 0.98-3.23) for tertile 2, compared with tertile 3. The results were relatively robust to missing data or the exclusion of cases solely based on symptoms. This inverse association of the CASP-12 score with COVID-19 hospitalization risk was also observed in ELSA.

Conclusion

This study shows that lower psychological wellbeing is independently associated with increased risks of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality in European adults aged 50 years or older. Further study is needed to validate these associations in recent and future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and other populations.

Identifying Future Study Designs for Mental Health and Social Wellbeing Associated with Diets of a Cohort Living in Eco-Regions: Findings from the INSUM Expert Workshop

Diets influence our mental health and social wellbeing (MHSW) in multiple ways. A rising community concept, Eco-Regions, has gained interest. The research project "Indicators for assessment of health effects of consumption of sustainable, organic school meals in Ecoregions" (INSUM) aims to develop future-oriented research approaches to measure the potential health effects of more sustainable and healthy diets. This first part of the project focuses on MHSW with the goal to identify suitable study designs and indicators. The methodology is based on a 2-day workshop with an interdisciplinary group of experts. This paper describes commonly applied research methods on the nexus between diet and MHSW as presented by the experts and summarises key points from the discussions. The results show that the dominating tool to investigate MSHW is questionnaires. Questionnaires vary largely depending on the research design, such as participants or distribution channels. Cohort studies addressing families and including in-depth interventional and/or experimental studies may be suitable for an Eco-Region investigation. Those MHSW studies can be conducted and combined with measurements of somatic health effects. We conclude that indicators should be seen as complementary rather than independent. Explorative research designs are required to investigate complex Eco-Regions.

Satisfaction With Life and Risk of Dementia: Findings From the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

OBJECTIVES

Life satisfaction is increasingly viewed as an asset associated with better general health, but its association with cognitive health and risk of dementia is less examined. We tested the hypothesis that higher life satisfaction would be associated with lower risk of dementia.

METHODS

Participants were a nationally representative sample of adults (n = 8,021; age range: 45-93 years) from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging assessed every 2 years for up to 12 years. Multilevel modeling analysis examined whether life satisfaction is associated with cognitive functioning and decline. The primary analysis used Cox regression to examine the association between baseline life satisfaction and risk of incident dementia.

RESULTS

Between-person differences and within-person changes in life satisfaction were associated with cognitive functioning, but life satisfaction was unrelated to the rate of cognitive decline. Higher life satisfaction was also associated with lower risk of dementia, even after accounting for demographic factors, depressive symptoms, cardiovascular and functional risk factors, health behaviors, and social contact.

DISCUSSION

Satisfaction with life may function as a positive psychological resource for maintaining cognitive functioning and protecting against the risk of dementia.

Aging-friendly cities: Investigating the effects of street usage on the psychological satisfaction of older adults in megacities

The psychological satisfaction of older adults is an important evaluation standard for the construction of elder-friendly cities. Meanwhile, as important space carriers carrying the travel activities and social participation of older adults, streets are also of great significance to improve psychological wellbeing. However, few studies pay attention to the street usage of aging population, especially in the context of megacities. Moreover, the previous literature rarely distinguishes the types of streets. Thus, employing a mixed approach, we investigate the relationships between street usage and psychological satisfaction for older adults. Based on the survey in Shanghai, we find that a clear role for different usage indicators in the determination of subjective psychological satisfaction of older adults. More specially, the street usage and psychological satisfaction for older adults are strongly correlated, especially for living streets. Psychological satisfaction for older adults in different types of streets is not always positively related to the positive perception of street usage. The psychological satisfaction of different streets depends on different factors. By focusing on the case of a megacity, our study emphasizes the differences between different types of streets, which will be conducive to the proposal of practical planning policies. In addition, employing mixed research methods not only explains how different street usage affects the psychological welfare of older adults on a macro scale, but also emphasizes the inner world of respondents.

Life in lockdown: a longitudinal study investigating the impact of the UK COVID-19 lockdown measures on lifestyle behaviours and mental health

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the UK government enforcing lockdown restrictions to control virus transmission. Such restrictions present opportunities and barriers for physical activity and healthy eating. Emerging research suggests that in the early stages of the pandemic, physical activity levels decreased, consumption of unhealthy foods increased, while levels of mental distress increased. Our aims were to understand patterns of diet, physical activity, and mental health during the first lockdown, how these had changed twelve-months later, and the factors associated with change.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted with UK adults (N = 636; 78% female) during the first national lockdown (May-June 2020). The survey collected information on demographics, physical activity, diet, mental health, and how participants perceived lifestyle behaviours had changed from before the pandemic. Participants who provided contact details were invited to complete a twelve-month follow-up survey (May-June 2021), 160 adults completed the survey at both time-points. Descriptive statistics, T-tests and McNemar Chi Square statistics were used to assess patterns of diet, physical activity, and mental health at baseline and change in behaviours between baseline and follow-up. Linear regression models were conducted to explore prospective associations between demographic and psycho-social variables at baseline with change in healthy eating habit, anxiety, and wellbeing respectively.

RESULTS

Between baseline and follow-up, healthy eating habit strength, and the importance of and confidence in eating healthily reduced. Self-rated health (positively) and confidence in eating healthily (negatively) were associated with change in healthy eating habit. There were no differences between baseline and follow-up for depression or physical activity. Mean anxiety score reduced, and wellbeing increased, from baseline to follow-up. Living with children aged 12-17 (compared to living alone) was associated with an increase in anxiety, while perceiving mental health to have worsened during the first lockdown (compared to staying the same) was associated with reduced anxiety and an increase in mental wellbeing.

CONCLUSIONS

While healthy eating habits worsened in the 12 months since the onset of the pandemic, anxiety and mental wellbeing improved. However, anxiety may have increased for parents of secondary school aged children.

Is the Sardinian Blue Zone the New Shangri-La for mental health? Evidence on depressive symptoms and its correlates in late adult life span

Background

An area of extraordinary longevity (i.e., Sardinian Blue Zone) characterized by a very high prevalence of long-lived successful agers has been validated in Sardinia, an Italian island located in the Mediterranean Sea.

Aims

This study was primarily aimed at examining whether dietary habits (intake of vegetables and fruit, animal-derived proteins, and carbohydrates-rich food), time spent on hobbies, subjective physical health, and socio-cultural context (Sardinian Blue Zone vs. another Sardinian rural area) predicted self-reported depressive symptoms in older adults recruited in the Sardinian Blue Zone and another Sardinian rural area not being characterized by a higher prevalence of long-lived individuals.

Methods

Three hundred and eighteen community-dwellers, age 65 years and older, 188 females and 130 males (M_age = 79.1 years, SD = 6.9 years) were recruited from the Sardinian Blue Zone and another Sardinian rural area. Each participant individually completed a battery of instruments to assess lifestyle, food habits, perceived physical health, and depressive symptoms through the CES-D inventory.

Results

Significant associations were found between depressive signs, perceived physical health, time spent gardening, proteins, and carbohydrates intake, respectively. Approximately 17% of the variance in the CES-D condition was predicted by socio-cultural context, perceived physical health, and gardening. Participants recruited in the Sardinian Blue Zone spent more time gardening and self-reported better physical health.

Conclusions

current results suggest that a socio-cultural context where people age well (i.e., the Sardinian Blue Zone), and a healthy and physically active lifestyle are crucial for promoting well-being in late adulthood.

Lifestyle factors and psychological well-being: 10-year follow-up study in Lithuanian urban population

Background

Several lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, nutrition habits, and social activity have been associated with psychological well-being (PWB). However, their effect on PWB prospectively has been less studied. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of lifestyle factors on higher future PWB during the 10-year follow-up of middle-aged and elderly urban population.

Methods

In the baseline survey (2006 to 2008), 7115 men and women 45–72 years of age were examined within the framework of the international study Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in the Eastern Europe (HAPIEE). In the follow-up survey (in 2016), which was performed among all 6210 participants who survived till that year, 4266 individuals participated responding to postal questionnaires. PWB was assessed by a CASP-12 questionnaire. The lifestyle behaviours, including smoking and nutrition habits, alcohol consumption, social and physical activity, were evaluated by the questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied for statistical data analysis.

Results

After accounting for several potential confounders, healthy levels of lifestyle behaviours were associated with higher PWB after 10-year follow-up. Never-smokers in men and former smokers in women had higher PWB by 43 and 67% odds respectively in comparison with smokers. Physical activity in women and high social activity both in men in women was positively related to higher PWB. More frequent fresh vegetable and fruit consumption was associated with higher odds of higher PWB (odds ratio 1.57 in men and 1.36 in women, p < 0.05) compared to less frequent consumption of such food groups. Dose-response relationship between increasing number of healthy lifestyle factors and higher PWB was determined both in men and women.

Conclusions

Lifestyle factors such as never smoking and former smoking, high social activity, and more frequent fresh vegetable and fruit consumption increased the odds of higher PWB over 10 years of follow-up in men and women groups. The increase of the protective health behaviour score was directly associated with the odds of higher PWB.

Lifestyle, psychological well-being, and body mass index of indigenous women

Lifestyle, psychological well-being, and body mass index of indigenous women. Introduction. Obesity is more common in women and has also been found to be present in indigenous populations. During university studies, obesity-related lifestyles are in the process of consolidation, and although this is known, research is limited to addressing physical activity and diet, ignoring other lifestyle components, such as life appreciation. Additionally, there is a need to corroborate whether psychological well-being contributes to excess weight in indigenous women. Objective. To determine whether there is an association between lifestyle, psychological well-being, and body mass index (BMI) in indigenous women. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 female Zapotec university students in Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico. The Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Healthy Lifestyle Scale for University Students, and a questionnaire about personal data were used. Body weight and height were measured to calculate BMI. Results. There was a negative correlation between BMI, self-acceptance (r = -0.33; p < 0.01), and life appreciation (r = -0.22; p < 0.05). Positive correlations were found between lifestyle and psychological well-being dimensions, with the strongest correlations being observed between life appreciation and purpose in life (r = 0.55) and self-acceptance (r = 0.48). The multivariable models determined that life appreciation and self-acceptance are associated with BMI. Conclusion. Life appreciation and self-acceptance are predictors of BMI and are even more strongly associated than exercise and nutrition behaviors.

Clustering of health behaviors among Japanese adults and their association with socio-demographics and happiness

Background

Scholars have associated happiness with health behaviors, which co-occur and exert synergistic effects. Therefore, identifying clusters of health behaviors and their effect on happiness can contribute to the development of strategies for promoting happiness and improving health behaviors.

Aim

This study aimed to examine clusters of health behaviors and their associations with socio-demographics and with happiness among Japanese adults.

Methods

This study used data from the Japanese Household Panel Survey and the Keio Household Panel Survey. Questionnaires were distributed to 4,993 households out of which 1,554 responses were analyzed (participants aged 27−65 years). The survey included health behaviors (alcohol consumption, smoking, vegetable and fruit consumption, breakfast-eating habits, and physical activities), happiness, and socio-demographics. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify the clusters, whereas latent regression was employed to investigate socio-demographics related to the clusters. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relation between happiness and the clusters.

Results

Two health behavior clusters were identified: Cluster 1 (low substance use and good dietary habit; n = 817; 52.3%) and Cluster 2 (high alcohol, poor nutrition, and inactive; n = 737; 47.7%). Latent regression analysis indicated that all socio-demographics, barring socioeconomic status, were significantly associated with the clusters. The “low substance use and good dietary habit” cluster was significantly related with higher odds of happiness (odds ratio = 1.425, 95% confidence interval = 1.146−1.772, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

This study identified health behavior clusters among Japanese adults and established the association between the “low substance use and good dietary habit” cluster and high levels of happiness. However, the causality of the relationship between health behavior and happiness remains unclear, which highlights the need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Interplay between polygenic propensity for ageing-related traits and the consumption of fruits and vegetables on future dementia diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Understanding how polygenic scores for ageing-related traits interact with diet in determining a future dementia including Alzheimer's diagnosis (AD) would increase our understanding of mechanisms underlying dementia onset.

METHODS

Using 6784 population representative adults aged ≥50 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we employed accelerated failure time survival model to investigate interactions between polygenic scores for AD (AD-PGS), schizophrenia (SZ-PGS) and general cognition (GC-PGS) and the baseline daily fruit and vegetable intake in association with dementia diagnosis during a 10-year follow-up. The baseline sample was obtained from waves 3-4 (2006-2009); follow-up data came from wave 5 (2010-2011) to wave 8 (2016-2017).

RESULTS

Consuming < 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day was associated with 33-37% greater risk for dementia in the following 10 years depending on an individual polygenic propensity. One standard deviation (1-SD) increase in AD-PGS was associated with 24% higher risk of dementia and 47% higher risk for AD diagnosis. 1-SD increase in SZ-PGS was associated with an increased risk of AD diagnosis by 66%(95%CI = 1.05-2.64) in participants who consumed < 5 portions of fruit or vegetables. There was a significant additive interaction between GC-PGS and < 5 portions of the baseline daily intake of fruit and vegetables in association with AD diagnosis during the 10-year follow-up (RERI = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.09-4.82; AP = 0.36, 95%CI = 0.17-0.66).

CONCLUSION

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is an important factor influencing the subsequent risk of dementia in the 10 years follow-up, especially in the context of polygenetic predisposition to AD, schizophrenia, and general cognition.

Fruit and vegetable intake and mental health among family caregivers of people with dementia in Uganda

Consumption of fruits and vegetables is correlated with improved mental wellbeing. Although this growing body of research has been recognized by researchers and clinicians in high-income countries, fewer studies examining this relationship have been conducted in low- and middle-income settings. In this study, we sought to estimate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and symptoms of depression and anxiety. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 242 family caregivers of people with dementia in southwestern Uganda. Fruit and vegetable intake in the past week was measured with a food frequency questionnaire. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the depression and anxiety subscales of the 42-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales. Multivariable regression models were used to estimate the associations between fruits and vegetable consumption and depression and anxiety, adjusting for caregiving burden and other potential confounders. Depression symptom severity was negatively associated with consumption of jackfruits (b =-4.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], -8.96 to -0.39), green leafy vegetables (b =-14.1; 95% CI, -18.0 to -10.1), root vegetables (b =-14.0; 95% CI, -19.5 to -8.63), and other vegetables (b =-14.8; 95% CI, -19.3 to -10.3), and frequent consumption of vegetables (b =-1.91; 95% CI, -3.77 to -0.04). Anxiety symptom severity was negatively associated with consumption of green leafy vegetables (b =-12.2; 95% CI, -16.0 to -8.46), root vegetables (b=-12.6; 95% CI, -17.5 to -7.58), and other vegetables (b =-12.7; 95% CI, -17.0 to -8.40), and frequent consumption of vegetables (b =-2.07; 95% CI, -3.84 to -0.29). Our results suggest that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with reduced depression and anxiety symptoms.

Energy intake and season interact to influence physiological stress load among midlife women

Allostatic load (AL) is an index that measures physiologic stress associated with chronic disease risk. One factor that may influence overall physiologic stress load and AL is energy consumption, but whether this association differs across different seasons is unknown. We tested whether energy consumption interacted with the season to influence AL in 52 mid-life (40-60 years) women from the Life in All Seasons Study. Women completed an online 24-h recall every 10 days and had components of allostatic load measured seasonally. Women were from the greater Grand Forks, ND catchment area and were followed for one year between July 2012 and July 2014. We found a significant (p = 0.01) interaction between season and energy consumption on AL. Further inspection showed that, during the summer and winter seasons, the average allostatic load rose with relatively higher energy consumption. We also observed a linear and positive association between AL and energy intake in summer (β = 0.0013 ± 0.0004; p = 0.001; r² = 0.14) and winter (β = 0.0011 ± 0.0004; p = 0.007; r² = 0.10), but not in fall or spring. These results suggest that factors associated with distinct times of the year promote or prevent the effects of higher energy consumption on physiological stress load. Since allostatic load is linked to elevated disease risk, our results provide additional information that may help to explain seasonal differences in disease risk of some women.

Factors associated with high compliance behaviour against COVID-19 in the early phase of pandemic: a cross-sectional study in 12 Asian countries

INTRODUCTION

Regardless of having effective vaccines against COVID-19, containment measures such as enhanced physical distancing and good practice of personal hygiene remain the mainstay of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries across Asia have imposed these containment measures to varying extents. However, residents in different countries would have a differing degree of compliance to these containment measures potentially due to differences in the level of awareness and motivation in the early phase of pandemic.

OBJECTIVES

In our study, we aimed to describe and correlate the level of knowledge and attitude with the level of compliance with personal hygiene and physical distancing practices among Asian countries in the early phase of pandemic.

METHODS

A multinational cross-sectional study was carried out using electronic surveys between May and June 2020 across 14 geographical areas. Subjects aged 21 years and above were invited to participate through social media, word of mouth and electronic mail.

RESULTS

Among the 2574 responses obtained, 762 (29.6%) participants were from East Asia and 1812 (70.4%) were from Southeast Asia (SEA). A greater proportion of participants from SEA will practise physical distancing as long as it takes (72.8% vs 60.6%). Having safe distancing practices such as standing more than 1 or 2 m apart (AdjOR 5.09 95% CI (1.08 to 24.01)) or more than 3 or 4 m apart (AdjOR 7.05 95% CI (1.32 to 37.67)), wearing a mask when they had influenza-like symptoms before the COVID-19 pandemic, preferring online news channels such as online news websites/applications (AdjOR 1.73 95% CI (1.21 to 2.49)) and social media (AdjOR 1.68 95% CI (1.13 to 2.50) as sources of obtaining information about COVID-19 and high psychological well-being (AdjOR 1.39 95% CI (1.04 to 1.87)) were independent factors associated with high compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

We found factors associated with high compliance behaviour against COVID-19 in the early phase of pandemic and it will be useful to consider them in risk assessment, communication and pandemic preparedness.

Have We Taken Advantage of the Quarantine to Develop Healthy Habits? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Spanish COVID-19 Situation by Gender

The confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in people’s lifestyles, which in part provided an opportunity to develop habits at home. The aims were: (1) to verify if the psychological well-being (PWB) of people related to healthy habits, and if physical activity (PA) and diet mediated this relationship; (2) to test if there were differences in this model of relationships between women and men; (3) to analyze if there were differences in healthy habits, PA, diet, and PWB depending on gender; (4) to test if there were differences in healthy habits, PA, diet, and PWB depending on living area; (5) and to assess if there were interaction effects of gender and living area in healthy habits, PA, diet, and PWB. Using a cross-sectional design, we obtained a sample of 1509 participants (18–78 years, 1020 women). Diet and PA fully mediated the relationship between PWB and healthy habits, and women developed more healthy habits than men, whereas men had higher levels of PA and PWB. We also found that people who lived in rural areas during confinement practiced more PA and had lower PWB levels than those who lived in urban areas. These results can help in the planning of strategies to promote healthy habits.

Dietary, physical exercises and mental stress in a Chinese population: a cross-sectional study

Background

Mental health is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. However, previous studies have showed conflict findings about the role of lifestyle and little is known about the situation of the Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the frequency of food consumption, physical exercise condition and mental health, as well as factors related to mental stress in Chinese.

Methods

We recruited 8160 residents who had health examinations in a public hospital during June 2016 to May 2018. Demographic characteristics, the frequency of food consumption, physical exercise condition and mental health status was collected by a questionnaire. We estimated the association using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) based on Binary or ordinal logistic regression models. A classification and regression tree (CART) demonstrated the prediction of the value of a target variable based on other values.

Results

The logistic regression model and classification tree model both found that the frequency of fresh vegetables or fruit and fried foods consumption and the current state of drinking alcohol were related to mental stress. The degree of mental stress reduced significantly with increasing consumption of fish (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.71–0.90) and regular exercise (OR = 0.55, 95% CI:0.48–0.64) in females and increased consumption of fish (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.48–0.64) and cereal crop (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.68–0.89), fish (OR = 0.87, 95%CI:0.77–0.96) and regular exercise (OR = 0.61, 95%CI:0.53–0.70) in males. On the contrary, the frequency of consumption of desserts (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.26–1.62) and the current of drinking alcohol (OR = 1.47, 95%CI:1.21–1.79) in females and meat (OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.31–1.65), pickled and smoked food (OR = 1.18, 95%CI:1.05–1.32) and the current state of drinking alcohol (OR = 1.25, 95%CI:1.12–1.40) in males were related to an increased risk of mental health.

Conclusions

Our study showed that both the frequency of some food consumption and physical exercise condition were associated with mental health and affected the degree of stress, which provided novel insights into interventions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11189-7.

The bidirectional relationship between sense of purpose in life and physical activity: a longitudinal study

People with a greater sense of purpose in life may be more likely to engage in physical activity. At the same time, physical activity can contribute to a sense of purpose in life. The present research tests these hypotheses using a cross-lagged panel model in a nationally representative, longitudinal panel of American adults (N = 14,159, M_age = 68). An increase in sense of purpose in life was associated with higher physical activity four years later, above and beyond past activity levels. Physical activity was positively associated with future levels of sense of purpose in life, controlling for prior levels of purpose in life. Results held in a second national panel from the US with a nine-year follow-up (N = 4,041, M_age = 56). The findings demonstrate a bidirectional relationship between sense of purpose in life and physical activity in large samples of middle-aged and older adults tracked over time.

Positive psychological well‐being and cardiovascular disease: Exploring mechanistic and developmental pathways

Empirical research regarding the health benefits of positive psychological well‐being (e.g., positive emotions, life satisfaction, purpose in life, and optimism) has flourished in recent years, particularly with regard to cardiovascular disease. This paper reviews the state of evidence for well‐being's association with cardiovascular disease in both healthy individuals and those diagnosed with a disease. Prospective studies consistently indicate well‐being reduces cardiovascular events in healthy and, to a lesser extent, patient populations. Potential pathways that link well‐being with cardiovascular disease are discussed (including health behaviors, physiological processes, and stress buffering), although the existing evidence is mostly cross‐sectional which limits conclusions about directionality. Issues related to development across the lifespan are considered and childhood is identified as a crucial period for establishing healthy cardiovascular trajectories. Outstanding questions for future research are provided with recommendations to focus on well‐powered and prospective study designs with rigorous assessment of both well‐being and cardiovascular‐related outcomes.

Complete Tooth Loss and Allostatic Load Changes Later in Life: A 12-Year Follow-Up Analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

OBJECTIVE

There is little evidence of the association between complete tooth loss and allostatic load (AL). We investigated, firstly, the association between complete tooth loss and changes in AL for 12 years among older English adults. A second aim was to explore the role of fruit and vegetable consumption in explaining the aforementioned association.

METHODS

AL was calculated for 2430 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort (2004/5-2016/17) participants 50 years and older based on nine biomarkers: systolic and diastolic blood pressures, glycated hemoglobin, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and waist circumference. The exposure was complete tooth loss. Participants were classified as dentate or edentulous. A linear mixed-effects model was fitted to model the 12-year change in AL score and its association with complete tooth loss after adjustments for confounders (demographic factors, socioeconomic position, and health behaviors).

RESULTS

Around 11% of the participants were edentulous. Complete tooth loss was positively associated with baseline AL scores but not with its rate of change over time. The predicted mean AL scores were 3.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.53-3.68) and 3.98 (95% CI = 3.76-4.21) as well as 4·28 (95% CI = 4·18, 4·39) and 4·66 (95% CI = 4·42, 4·90) for dentate and edentulous participants, at baseline and end of follow-up, respectively. Fruit and vegetable consumption was not associated with baseline AL or its rate of change.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete tooth loss was associated with baseline AL score but not with its development over time, whereas the consumption of fruit and vegetables did not help to explain this association. Both conditions may share common determinants earlier in life.

Life Satisfaction and Subsequent Physical, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Health in Older Adults

Policy Points Several intergovernmental organizations (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Health Organization, United Nations) are urging countries to use well-being indicators (e.g., life satisfaction) in addition to traditional economic indicators when making important policy decisions. As the number of governments implementing this new approach grows, so does the need to continue evaluating the health and well-being outcomes we might observe from policies aimed at improving life satisfaction. The results of this study suggest that life satisfaction is a valuable target for policies aiming to enhance several indicators of psychosocial well-being, health behaviors, and physical health outcomes.

CONTEXT

Several intergovernmental organizations (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Health Organization, United Nations) are urging countries to use well-being indicators (e.g., life satisfaction) in addition to traditional economic indicators when making important policy decisions. As the number of governments implementing this new approach grows, so does the need to continue evaluating the health and well-being outcomes we might observe from policies aimed at improving life satisfaction.

METHODS

We evaluated whether positive change in life satisfaction (between t₀ ;2006/2008 and t₁ ;2010/2012) was associated with better outcomes on 35 indicators of physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health and well-being (in t₂ ;2014/2016). Data were from 12,998 participants in the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study-a prospective and nationally representative cohort of US adults over age 50.

FINDINGS

Participants with the highest (versus lowest) life satisfaction had better subsequent outcomes on some physical health indicators (lower risk of pain, physical functioning limitations, and mortality; lower number of chronic conditions; and higher self-rated health) and health behaviors (lower risk of sleep problems and more frequent physical activity), and nearly all psychosocial indicators (higher positive affect, optimism, purpose in life, mastery, health mastery, financial mastery, and likelihood of living with spouse/partner; and lower depression, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, negative affect, perceived constraints, and loneliness) over the 4-year follow-up period. However, life satisfaction was not subsequently associated with many specific health conditions (i.e., diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, heart disease, lung disease, arthritis, overweight/obesity, or cognitive impairment), other health behaviors (i.e., binge drinking or smoking), or frequency of contact with children, family, or friends.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that life satisfaction is a valuable target for policies aiming to enhance several indicators of psychosocial well-being, health behaviors, and physical health outcomes.

Psychological Health, Well-Being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

As clinicians delivering health care, we are very good at treating disease but often not as good at treating the person. The focus of our attention has been on the specific physical condition rather than the patient as a whole. Less attention has been given to psychological health and how that can contribute to physical health and disease. However, there is now an increasing appreciation of how psychological health can contribute not only in a negative way to cardiovascular disease (CVD) but also in a positive way to better cardiovascular health and reduced cardiovascular risk. This American Heart Association scientific statement was commissioned to evaluate, synthesize, and summarize for the health care community knowledge to date on the relationship between psychological health and cardiovascular health and disease and to suggest simple steps to screen for, and ultimately improve, the psychological health of patients with and at risk for CVD. Based on current study data, the following statements can be made: There are good data showing clear associations between psychological health and CVD and risk; there is increasing evidence that psychological health may be causally linked to biological processes and behaviors that contribute to and cause CVD; the preponderance of data suggest that interventions to improve psychological health can have a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health; simple screening measures can be used by health care providers for patients with or at risk for CVD to assess psychological health status; and consideration of psychological health is advisable in the evaluation and management of patients with or at risk for CVD.

How strongly connected are positive affect and physical exercise? Results from a large general population study of young adults

Background

Previous research has shown a link between low positive affect (PA) and numerous physical and psychological well-being outcomes but, recent research has raised the possibility that this relationship may be driven by physical activity. Thus, we were interested in exploring the PA-exercise connection by examining this relationship across differing levels of body mass and athleticism. We also looked at whether the item “active” that is used in many PA assessments was responsible for this effect.

Method

Participants were part of the Norwegian SHoT2018 national survey of 50,054 young adults (mean age = 23.2, 68.9% women), who completed electronic surveys about their exercise levels (duration, frequency and intensity) and affect.

Results

There was a clear and strong dose-response association between current state PA and the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise. For example, duration, magnitude, and slope effects were strongly driven by regular exercisers who had more than a 20-fold greater likelihood of being in the highest PA deciles compared to the least frequent exercisers. These dose-response connections replicated across both healthy and overweight BMIs, as well as in elite athletes. Removing the word “active” from the PA measure substantially reduced the size of this association, although the dose-response relationship remained.

Conclusion

The observed strong connections have critical implications for health researchers and clinicians, and point to a need to carefully consider what types of activities are most strongly tied to well-being.

The Prevalence and Perceived Health Factors of Healthy Eating and Active Living: An International Older Population-Based Study

Engaging in healthy eating and active living is an effective strategy for preventing noncommunicable diseases in older populations. The purposes were to compare the prevalence rates across countries and explore health factors associated with healthy eating and active living. The data were retrieved from a cross-sectional study conducted by the International Social Survey Program (2011 Health and Healthcare), with structured questionnaire surveys in 32 countries. The results showed that 38.42% reported active living and 39.11% reported healthy eating among 11,250 total respondents. Older adults with a long-standing illness or obesity who felt that they were not overcoming problems and had lost confidence were less likely to engage in healthy behavior. Perceived general health had a positive association with the odds of engaging in healthy eating and active living. The international comparisons provide a reference for local governments to decrease health disparities. Inspiring self-awareness about health might encourage older adults to pursue healthy lifestyles.

Horticultural Activity Type, Psychological Well-Being, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of the frequency of participation in horticultural activity types on psychological well-being and fruit and vegetable intake. The study sought to understand the mediating effect of psychological well-being between the frequency of types of horticultural activities and the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. Convenience sampling was used to collect 400 valid data through a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about the frequency of four horticultural activity types (indoor plant activities, outdoor plant activities, arts/crafts activities, and excursions), the measure of psychological well-being, and the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. The results showed that a higher frequency of indoor and outdoor plant activity positively affected psychological well-being. Psychological well-being played a partial mediation role between indoor plant activity and vegetable and fruit intake and a full mediation role between outdoor plant activity and vegetable and fruit intake. The plant-related arts/crafts activities and excursions were not associated with psychological well-being or vegetable and fruit intake.

Factors associated with adherence to a Mediterranean diet in adolescents from La Rioja (Spain)

The aim of the present study was to describe Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence within a population of adolescents and to analyse the association of multiple factors with adherence. This included a consideration of diverse physical and mental health indicators. The present study was conducted with a representative sample of 761 adolescents (14·51 (sd 1·63) years) from twenty-five educational centres in a northern region of Spain. MD adherence was evaluated, alongside their health-related quality of life, self-esteem, body image satisfaction, BMI, physical activity (PA) level, maximum oxygen consumption, hours of nightly sleep, socio-demographic factors and academic performance. Of the adolescent population, 49 % reported high MD adherence. Being female and having higher levels of PA were found to be predictive factors of adherence to the MD. In addition, maximum oxygen consumption, the presence of environments favourable towards PA engagement and higher self-esteem were also predictive in females, whilst better academic performance and more nightly sleep were additional predictors in males. The associations found between the MD and other health indicators and habits highlight the need to develop promotion strategies from an inter-disciplinary and transversal standpoint.

Association of urinary phthalates metabolites concentration with emotional symptoms in Chinese university students

Previous studies have shown the associations between phthalates exposure and psychological behavior problems in children and adolescents, but such associations have not been fully elucidated in university students, especially among Chinese university students. This study aims to examine the association between urinary phthalates metabolites concentration and emotional symptoms in Chinese university students. A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among 990 university students aged 17-24 years from two universities in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces of China. Concentration of six phthalate metabolites in urine was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and the emotional symptoms were assessed by the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. The detection rate of six phthalate metabolites in urine ranged from 79.6% to 99.7%. The median concentration of six phthalate metabolites ranged from 2.90 to 119.64 ng/mL. The positive rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress were 17.4%, 24.8%, and 9.5%, respectively. After adjusting for the confounding variables, mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) was found to be associated with depressive symptoms (β = 8.84, P = 0.017), anxiety symptoms (β = 8.46, P = 0.015), and stress symptoms (β = 9.95, P = 0.012) in males; whereas, monobutyl phthalate (MBP) was found to be associated with depressive symptoms (β = 1.86, P = 0.002), anxiety symptoms (β = 1.81, P = 0.005), and stress symptoms (β = 1.48, P = 0.047) in females. Our study demonstrates that Chinese university students are widely exposed to phthalates; and high- and low-molecular weight phthalates are associated with emotional symptoms in males and females, respectively.

Changes in plant-based diet quality and health-related quality of life in women

Few studies have evaluated the association between a healthful plant-based diet and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We followed 50 290 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS; 1992–2000) and 51 784 women in NHSII (1993–2001) for 8 years to investigate changes in plant-based diet quality in relation to changes in physical and mental HRQoL. Plant-based diet quality was assessed by three plant-based diet indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful PDI (hPDI) and unhealthful PDI (uPDI). Physical and mental HRQoL were measured by physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Diet was assessed 2 years before the HRQoL measurements and both were updated every 4 years. The associations between 4-year changes in PDIs and HRQoL were evaluated. Each 10-point increase in PDI was associated with an improvement of 0·07 (95 % CI 0·01, 0·13) in PCS and 0·11 (95 % CI 0·05, 0·16) in MCS. A 10-point increase in hPDI was associated with an increment of 0·13 (95 % CI 0·08, 0·19) in PCS and 0·09 (95 % CI 0·03, 0·15) in MCS. Conversely, a 10-point increase in uPDI was associated with decreases in PCS and MCS (−0·07 (95 % CI −0·12, −0·02) and −0·10 (95 % CI −0·16, −0·05), respectively). Compared with a stable diet, an increase in hPDI was significantly associated with improvements in physical HRQoL in older women and with mental HRQoL in younger women. In conclusion, adherence to a healthful plant-based diet was modestly associated with improvements in both physical and mental dimensions of HRQoL.

Association Between Self-Reported Food Preferences and Psychological Well-Being During Perimenopausal Period Among Chinese Women

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was sought to assess the association between food preferences and Psychological well-being (PWB) in Chinese women undergoing perimenopause and whether the association is different between rural and urban areas.

METHODS

This is a longitudinal study of 929 women in perimenopausal period participating in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) during 2009 and 2011. Preference for five kinds of food were assessed in face-to-face interviews and the PWB was measured by scoring three self-reported questions with a total score of 15. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions were used to estimate the longitudinal association between food preference and PWB scores. In fully adjusted models, dislike for fruits and like for sweetened beverages had regression coefficient (95% CI) for the PWB score of -1.26, (-2.21-0.321) and 0.66 (0.20-1.11), respectively. The above associations were only found among participants in urban areas, with corresponding regression coefficients of -2.61(95% CI = -4.83, -0.39) for dislike fruit and 1.02(95% CI = 0.09, 1.95) for like sweetened beverages.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, PWB score was negatively associated with the dislike for fruit but positively associated with the preference for sweetened beverages, especially among participants from urban areas. The longitudinal data indicate that the PWB score of perimenopausal women might be improved by increasing the intake of fruit. Given the adverse effects of sweetened beverages, more research was need between PWB and the sweetened beverages.

Relationship between subjective well-being and healthy lifestyle behaviours in older adults: a longitudinal study

Objectives: People who report better subjective well-being tend to be healthier in their daily behaviours. The objective of this study is to assess whether different components of subjective well-being are prospectively associated with different healthy lifestyle behaviours and to assess whether these associations differ by age.Method: A total of 1,892 participants aged 50+ living in Spain were interviewed in 2011-12 and 2014-15. Life satisfaction was measured with the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Positive and negative affect were assessed using the Day Reconstruction Method. Physical activity was assessed with the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire version 2. The remaining healthy lifestyle behaviours were self-reported. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) models were run.Results: Not having a heavy episodic alcohol drinking was the healthy lifestyle behaviour most fulfilled (97.97%), whereas the intake of five or more fruits and vegetables was the least followed (33.12%). GEE models conducted over the 50-64 and the 65+ age groups showed that a higher life satisfaction was significantly related to a higher physical activity in both groups. Relationships between a higher negative affect and presenting a lower level of physical activity, and a higher positive affect and following the right consumption of fruits and vegetables and being a non-daily smoker, were only found in the older group.Conclusion: The relationship between subjective well-being and healthy lifestyle behaviours was found fundamentally in those aged 65+ years. Interventions focused on incrementing subjective well-being would have an impact on keeping a healthy lifestyle and, therefore, on reducing morbidity and mortality.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mental Health in Adults: A Systematic Review

The role of a properly balanced diet in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders has been suggested, while vegetables and fruits have a high content of nutrients that may be of importance in the case of depressive disorders. The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the observational studies analyzing association between fruit and vegetable intake and mental health in adults. The search adhered to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), and the review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (CRD42019138148). A search for peer-reviewed observational studies published until June 2019 was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases, followed by an additional manual search for publications conducted via analyzing the references of the found studies. With respect to the intake of fruit and/or vegetable, studies that assessed the intake of fruits and/or vegetables, or their processed products (e.g., juices), as a measure expressed in grams or as the number of portions were included. Those studies that assessed the general dietary patterns were not included in the present analysis. With respect to mental health, studies that assessed all the aspects of mental health in both healthy participants and subjects with physical health problems were included, but those conducted in groups of patients with intellectual disabilities, dementia, and eating disorders were excluded. To assess bias, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied. A total of 5911 studies were independently extracted by 2 researchers and verified if they met the inclusion criteria using a 2-stage procedure (based on the title, based on the abstract). After reviewing the full text, a total of 61 studies were selected. A narrative synthesis of the findings from the included studies was performed, which was structured around the type of outcome. The studies included mainly focused on depression and depressive symptoms, but also other characteristics ranging from general and mental well-being, quality of life, sleep quality, life satisfaction, flourishing, mood, self-efficacy, curiosity, creativity, optimism, self-esteem, stress, nervousness, or happiness, to anxiety, minor psychiatric disorders, distress, or attempted suicide, were analyzed. The most prominent results indicated that high total intake of fruits and vegetables, and some of their specific subgroups including berries, citrus, and green leafy vegetables, may promote higher levels of optimism and self-efficacy, as well as reduce the level of psychological distress, ambiguity, and cancer fatalism, and protect against depressive symptoms. However, it must be indicated that the studies included were conducted using various methodologies and in different populations, so their results were not always sufficiently comparable, which is a limitation. Taken together, it can be concluded that fruits and/or vegetables, and some of their specific subgroups, as well as processed fruits and vegetables, seems to have a positive influence on mental health, as stated in the vast majority of the included studies. Therefore, the general recommendation to consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day may be beneficial also for mental health.

Prospective associations of happiness and optimism with lifestyle over up to two decades

Greater levels of psychological well-being are associated with reduced disease and mortality risk, and lifestyle habits may be potential mechanisms underlying these relationships. Prospective studies show that positive psychological factors enhance the likelihood of adopting specific health behaviors; yet, whether they promote the adoption of multiple healthy behaviors, which can have a multiplicative effect on disease and mortality risk compared to individual behaviors, is unknown. We investigated whether happiness and optimism were related to a healthy lifestyle (characterized by multiple health behaviors) over 10-22 years of follow-up; we also explored bidirectional associations, assessing if a healthy lifestyle at baseline was related to greater likelihood of experiencing higher happiness and optimism over time. Women reported levels of happiness in 1992 (N = 52,133) and optimism in 2004 (N = 36,802). Health-related behaviors (physical activity, body mass index, diet, alcohol and tobacco consumption) were self-reported and combined into a lifestyle score, every four years from baseline until 2014. Multivariable generalized estimating equations with a Poisson distribution were used. Women with moderate and higher (versus lower) happiness levels were more likely to report sustaining healthy lifestyles (RR = 1.18, CI = 1.11-1.25; RR = 1.39, CI = 1.32-1.46, respectively). In secondary analyses, the magnitude of the inverse association was somewhat smaller (likelihood of sustaining higher happiness levels for baseline healthy versus unhealthy lifestyle, RR = 1.11, CI = 1.10-1.12). Results were similar when considering optimism as the exposure and in other secondary analyses (e.g., across individual habits). While bidirectional associations are apparent, these findings suggest pursuing happiness and optimism as modifiable determinants of lifestyle deserves further consideration.

Eating pattern and psychological symptoms: A cross-sectional study based on a national large sample of Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

Previous studies showed inconsistent results of the relationship between eating patterns and mental health in adolescents, and little is known in Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

A multi-center population-based survey was conducted in 32 schools in 4 provinces across China. A total of 14,500 adolescents at grade 7-12 completed eligible questionnaires. Emotional, conduct and social adaptation problems were assessed using Multi-dimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents (MSQA), while eating pattern was collected using the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ).

RESULTS

Four principal components were obtained, including healthy, meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and fast foods patterns. The healthy pattern associated with lower risk of psychological symptoms (adjusted odds ratio (AORs) was 0.59, 0.60, 0.62, 0.53, respectively, all p < 0.01). While the fast foods pattern (AOR was 2.16, 2.04, 1.84, 2.24, respectively, all p < 0.01), the SSBs pattern (AOR was 1.38, 1.34, 1.25, 1.56, respectively, all p < 0.01) and the meats pattern (AOR was 1.24, 1.15, 1.12, 1.28, respectively, all p < 0.05) significantly associated with higher risk of psychological symptoms. Dose-response relationships were observed in all eating patterns with psychological symptoms, except for meats pattern (p-trend < 0.01).

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design limited the ability to infer causality. Meanwhile, it was difficult for estimating the eating quantity accurately by SQFFQ, and can only be assessed by the dietary pattern score.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the potential importance of eating pattern for mental health during adolescence.

Does eating fruit and vegetables also reduce the longitudinal risk of depression and anxiety? A commentary on 'Lettuce be happy'

This commentary provides evidence of a longitudinal connection between current diet and later mental health. We build upon a research study, Ocean, Howley, and Ensor (2019, forthcoming), which uses UK data to argue that consumption of fruit and vegetables may be able to improve people's self-assessed mental-health scores on the general health questionnaire (GHQ) and life-satisfaction scores. We show, in Australian data, that an equivalent result may be true for actual clinical diagnosis of depression and anxiety. We conclude that there appears to be accumulating evidence for the psychological power of fruit and vegetables.