Abstract
The association between dietary diversity (DD) and psychological resilience among older people is an underdeveloped area of research. This cross-sectional study explored the associations of DD with psychological resilience among 8571 community-based elderly individuals. The intake frequencies of food groups were collected, and dietary diversity was assessed based on the mean DD score. Psychological resilience was assessed using a simplified resilience score (SRS). Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Poor DD was significantly associated with psychological resilience, with a β (95% CI) of −0.94 (−1.07, −0.81) for the SRS (p < 0.01) and an odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.83 (1.66, 2.01) for low SRS status. The interaction effects of age with DD were observed for the SRS (p < 0.001) and low SRS status (p < 0.001). Based on separate analyses by age group, the association of a low SRS with poor DD was more prominent in the younger elderly than the oldest old, with OR (95% CI) 2.32 (1.96, 2.74) and 1.61 (1.43, 1.82), respectively. Compared with younger participants with good DD, the risk of a low SRS was greater for younger participants with poor DD, the oldest old with good DD, and the oldest old with poor DD, with OR (95% CI) 2.39 (2.02, 2.81), 1.28 (1.09, 1.51), and 2.03 (1.72, 2.39), respectively. The greatest contribution to DD was from a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Our study suggested that poor DD was associated with a low psychological resilience among the Chinese elderly, especially the younger elderly. These findings suggest that augmentation of DD might promote psychological resilience.
Highlights
Psychological resilience is defined as the ability to cope, adapt, and respond positively to stress or adversity [1,2]
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on associations between dietary diversity and psychological resilience among older adults, our finding of the positive association of poor DD with a lower simplified resilience score (SRS) among elders has added novel knowledge on improving psychological resilience
Studies addressing the associations of DD with psychological resilience are very scarce, our findings are supported by other limited previous studies investigating associations of a predefined dietary pattern or empirically derived dietary patterns with resilience
Summary
Psychological resilience is defined as the ability to cope, adapt, and respond positively to stress or adversity [1,2]. Adversity is deemed a primary antecedent of resilience; positive adaptation is Nutrients 2019, 11, 650; doi:10.3390/nu11030650 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Several studies have shown an association of psychological resilience with healthy aging. Higher resilience is associated with positive physical outcomes, such as activities of daily living (ADL) [8], physical health [9], as well as exceptional longevity and survival [10,11]. Given that the world’s older population is increasing dramatically and the aging of the population has become a big challenge for public health, studies of factors associated with psychological resilience in elderly individuals are of great importance
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