Food Consumption Patterns, Breakfast, Meals with Family and Associations with Common Mental Disorders in Adolescents: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundAdolescence is a period of transition and vulnerabilities, in which mental illnesses can develop more easily. The objective of this work is to verify the association between food consumption patterns and the presence of Common Mental Disorders in Brazilian adolescents. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study which analyzed data from 71,553 Brazilian adolescents aged 12-17 years, from the ERICA Study. Principal Component Analysis was performed to identify Food Consumption Patterns, and Logistic Regression Models were performed to identify the associations between Common Mental Disorders, Food Consumption Patterns, and eating practices that are breakfast consumption and practice of having meals accompanied by family. ResultsTwo patterns were found, a Healthy Food Consumption Pattern and a Unhealthy Food Consumption Pattern. Adolescents classified in the second (OR: 0.77; 95% CI 0.68 - 0.88) or third (OR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.74 - 0.95) tercile of the Healthy Food Consumption Pattern had a lower chance of having Common Mental Disorders, while those who belonged to the third tercile of the Unhealthy Food Consumption Pattern (OR: 1.22; 95% CI 1.02 - 1.42), had an increased chance of having Common Mental Disorders. Eating breakfast sometimes (OR: 0.69; 95% CI 0.59 - 0.80) or almost every day/every day (OR: 0.52; 95% CI 0.46 - 0.59), and the practice of having the main meals with the family sometimes (OR: 0.64; 95% CI 0.54 - 0.75) or almost every day/every day (OR: 0.48; 95% CI 0.40-0.55), decreased the chance for Common Mental Disorders.ConclusionStrategies to promote the mental health of adolescents as the adoption of healthy eating practices must be strengthened and promoted.