Huang Zixuan, Han Jiamin, Jiang Ying, Li Shiming, Wang Gang, Zhou Zhenhe, Zhu Haohao
Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214151, China.
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 2;17(1):176. doi: 10.3390/nu17010176.
This study aimed to assess the psychological health status of children aged 3-7 years in Wuxi and analyze the correlation between dietary behaviors, lifestyle, and psychological problems.
Using a stratified cluster random sampling method, 3-7-year-old children from 18 kindergartens across Wuxi were selected as the survey subjects. An online survey was conducted to collect demographic information about children and their parents, dietary information, lifestyle data, and family backgrounds. Psychological assessments were conducted using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
A total of 3727 preschool children were included. The average SDQ score was 16.12 ± 4.00, with an abnormal rate of 40.81% (1521/3727). After adjusting for various confounding factors, logistic regression analysis indicated that low dietary diversity (OR = 1.299, 95% CI: 1.131-1.492), daily consumption of ultra-processed foods (OR = 1.202, 95% CI: 1.051-1.376), picky eating behavior or ideas occurring more than twice per week (OR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.227-1.608), engaging in other activities while eating (such as watching TV or playing with toys) more than twice per week (OR = 1.742, 95% CI: 1.510-2.011), lack of a fixed dining position (OR = 1.222, 95% CI: 1.012-1.476), daily screen time exceeding 1 h (OR = 1.353, 95% CI: 1.152-1.590), and daily sleep duration of less than 9 h or more than 13 h (OR = 1.535, 95% CI: 1.262-1.866) were risk factors for psychological problems.
The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing insufficient dietary diversity, distracted eating, excessive screen time, and unhealthy sleep habits to improve the psychological well-being of preschool children. Future studies should explore the effectiveness of tailored health and lifestyle interventions for children and their families to mitigate these risks.
本研究旨在评估无锡市3至7岁儿童的心理健康状况，并分析饮食行为、生活方式与心理问题之间的相关性。
采用分层整群随机抽样方法，选取无锡市18所幼儿园的3至7岁儿童作为调查对象。通过在线调查收集儿童及其父母的人口统计学信息、饮食信息、生活方式数据和家庭背景。使用长处与困难问卷（SDQ）进行心理评估。
共纳入3727名学龄前儿童。SDQ平均得分为16.12±4.00，异常率为40.81%（1521/3727）。在调整各种混杂因素后，逻辑回归分析表明，饮食多样性低（OR=1.299，95%CI：1.131-1.492）、每日食用超加工食品（OR=1.202，95%CI：1.051-1.376）、每周挑食行为或想法出现超过两次（OR=1.405，95%CI：1.227-1.608）、每周吃饭时同时进行其他活动（如看电视或玩玩具）超过两次（OR=1.742，95%CI：1.510-2.011）、缺乏固定就餐位置（OR=1.222，95%CI：1.012-1.476）、每日屏幕时间超过1小时（OR=1.353，95%CI：1.152-1.590）以及每日睡眠时间少于9小时或多于13小时（OR=1.535，95%CI：1.262-1.866）是心理问题的危险因素。
研究结果凸显了迫切需要针对饮食多样性不足、进食时分心、屏幕时间过长和不健康睡眠习惯进行有针对性的干预，以改善学龄前儿童的心理健康。未来的研究应探索针对儿童及其家庭的量身定制的健康和生活方式干预措施的有效性，以降低这些风险。
