Happiness and health and food-related variables: Evidence for different age groups in Chile

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the factors determining the happiness in young and middle-aged adults in Chile, including health and food-related factors, and their relationships between them. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted on a total of 1163 people (from 20 to 65 years old), proportionally distributed in the cities over 100000 inhabitants in the central area of Chile. The main scales used were: Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Health Related Quality of Life Index (HRQoL), and Satisfaction with Food-related Life (SWFL). In this study, the logistic ordinal regression models were estimated. The main finding was that people have more unhealthy days, poorer perception of their health, and are less satisfied with their food-related life, and are less happy in both age groups. Therefore, health-related factors and SWFL are strong predictors of happiness.