Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2024 Oct 15;19(10):e0312123. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312123. eCollection 2024.
University students are at risk of experiencing mental health and diet quality problems during their transition to university. This study aimed to examine the bidirectional associations between the diet quality and mental health of students during their transition to universities in the UK, and the impact of the transition on diet quality and mental health. The study adopted a cross-sectional design and took place during the first semester of year 2021-2022. Participants were first year undergraduate students at four UK universities, living at student halls. They were invited to participate by completing online surveys, including a diet quality instrument (Short Form Food Frequency Questionnaire), a mental health instrument (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale) and a quality of transition instrument (College Adjustment Questionnaire). Results showed that a healthy diet was associated with good mental health (b = -3.46, 95% CI [-6.14, -.78]). Unfavourable mental health was associated with having an unhealthy diet (b = -.01, 95% CI [-.02, -.00]). Transition did not moderate the relationship between diet quality and mental health of students, or vice versa (ps> .05). Preliminary analyses showed a significant direct effect of good quality of transition to university on good mental health (b = -1.51, 95% CI [-1.88, -1.13]), but did not have an indirect effect via diet quality; there were no significant direct or indirect effects on diet quality, however larger studies are needed to replicate these preliminary analyses. Our current findings can inform university policies and health education research, and further research is needed to determine whether interventions to improve diet quality at the university level could reduce mental health issues, and whether interventions to support students under stress may lead to healthier dietary habits. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine the directionality of effects, hence longitudinal studies are required to enhance our understanding of the relationships between diet quality and mental health over time.
大学生在向大学过渡期间面临心理健康和饮食质量问题的风险。本研究旨在检验英国大学生向大学过渡期间饮食质量和心理健康之间的双向关联，以及过渡对饮食质量和心理健康的影响。该研究采用横断面设计，于 2021-2022 年第一学期进行。参与者为英国四所大学的一年级本科生，居住在学生宿舍。他们通过完成在线调查被邀请参加，包括饮食质量工具（简短食物频率问卷）、心理健康工具（抑郁、焦虑和压力量表）和过渡质量工具（大学调整问卷）。结果表明，健康饮食与良好的心理健康相关（b = -3.46，95%CI [-6.14，-.78]）。不良的心理健康与不健康的饮食有关（b = -.01，95%CI [-.02，-.00]）。过渡并没有调节学生饮食质量和心理健康之间的关系，反之亦然（p>.05）。初步分析表明，良好的大学过渡质量对良好的心理健康有显著的直接影响（b = -1.51，95%CI [-1.88，-1.13]），但通过饮食质量没有间接影响；对饮食质量没有显著的直接或间接影响，然而需要更大规模的研究来复制这些初步分析。我们目前的研究结果可以为大学政策和健康教育研究提供信息，需要进一步的研究来确定在大学层面改善饮食质量的干预措施是否可以减少心理健康问题，以及支持压力下的学生的干预措施是否可以导致更健康的饮食习惯。横断面研究无法确定影响的方向性，因此需要进行纵向研究来增强我们对饮食质量和心理健康随时间变化的关系的理解。
