Abstract
ObjectiveAlthough previous studies have shown that screen time (ST), fast foods (FFs) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption are associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents, research on these associations in Chinese adolescents is scarce. This study aimed to examine the association between ST, FFs, SSBs and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents, and explore the mediating effects of FFs and SSBs in the association between ST and depressive symptoms.MethodsThis school-based nationwide survey was carried out among 14,500 students in four provinces of China. The Children’s Depression Inventory was used to assess the participants’ depressive symptoms. ST, FFs and SSBs consumption was measured by a self-reported questionnaire. The Bayesian multiple mediation model was used to analyze the mediation effect.ResultsST, FFs and SSBs, were more likely to be associated with depressive symptoms, and ORs (95%CI) was 1.075 (1.036–1.116), 1.062 (1.046–1.078) and 1.140 (1.115–1.166), after we adjusted for sociodemographic variables. Additionally, in Bayesian multiple mediation model, direct effect, mediating effect, total effect, the ratio of mediating effect to total effect was 0.125, 0.034, 0.159, and 0.214, respectively. All path coefficients of the three mediation paths are statistically significant (p < 0.05).ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that ST, FFs and SSBs consumption are associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. It is likely that FFs and SSBs partially mediate the association between ST and depressive symptoms by chain-mediating effects.
Highlights
The World Health Organization previously reported that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression [1]
The positive rates of depressive symptoms were statistically different in sociodemographic variables of stratified by gender (P < 0.05) except different ages and whether the only child in the family of male (P > 0.05), and different residences, whether boarding school and whether the only child in the family of female (P > 0.05)
Our results are compatible with previous findings indicating that the positive rate of depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents is high, and adolescent depressive symptom needs paying close attention
Summary
The World Health Organization previously reported that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression [1]. Worldwide prevalence rate suggests that there is approximately 11.00% of depression among adolescent [3], and the rate increases with age [4]. The positive rates of depressive symptoms among adolescents in China, Japan and France were 44.3, 22.0 and 12.6%, respectively [6,7,8]. The positive rate of depressive symptoms in adolescents in developing countries may be higher, compared with developed countries. A study involving three countries shows that the positive rate of depression among adolescents in India is higher than that in Australians and Americans [9]. The World Health Assembly calls for the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses such as depression at the national level [1]
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