Associations of vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, and school bullying with depressive symptoms in secondary school students: the mediating role of internet addiction

Abstract

Background Few studies have simultaneously focused on the associations of vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, school bullying, and Internet addiction (IA) with depressive symptoms. This study aimed to explore the direct and indirect effects of the above factors on depressive symptoms in adolescents by constructing a structural equation model (SEM). Methods This study was conducted in Qingdao from September to November 2021. A total of 6195 secondary school students aged 10–19 years were included in the analysis. Information on all variables was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. An SEM was constructed with depressive symptoms as the endogenous latent variable, IA as the mediating variable, and vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, and school bullying as the exogenous latent variables. The standardized path coefficients (β) were the direct effects between the latent variables, and the indirect effects were obtained by the product of direct effects between relevant latent variables. Results The median value with the interquartile range of depressive symptom scores was 7 (3,12). Vegetable and fruit intake (β=-0.100, P<0.001) and physical activity (β=-0.140, P<0.001) were directly negatively related to depressive symptoms. While school bullying (β=0.138, P<0.001) and IA (β=0.452, P<0.001) were directly positively related to depressive symptoms. IA had the greatest impact on depressive symptoms. Vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, and school bullying could not only directly affect depressive symptoms, but also indirectly affect depressive symptoms through the mediating effect of IA, the indirect effects and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were -0.028 (-0.051, -0.007), -0.114 (-0.148, -0.089) and 0.095 (0.060, 0.157), respectively. The results of the multi-group analysis showed that the SEM we constructed still fit in boy and girl groups. Conclusions The results indicated that vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, school bullying, and IA had a significant direct impact on depressive symptoms, among which IA had the greatest impact. In addition, both vegetable and fruit intake, school bullying, and physical activity indirectly affected depressive symptoms through the mediating effect of IA. The impact of IA on depressive symptoms should be given extra attention by schools and parents. This study provides a scientific and effective basis for the prevention and control of adolescent depressive symptoms.