The influence of early diet quality on the mental health of college students: the mediation effects of height and qi-deficiency

• Published in: Frontiers in public health Vol. 12; p. 1363866
• Main Authors: Wang, Xinzhu, He, Xinyu, Fu, Kaixian, Zhang, Yuxia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 09.04.2024
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Body Height; China; Chinese traditional medicine; Diet - statistics & numerical data; early diet quality; Female; height; Humans; Male; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; mental health; Mental Health - statistics & numerical data; Public Health; qi-deficiency; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Universities; Young Adult; China; early diet quality; Chinese traditional medicine; qi-deficiency; mental health; height
• ISSN: 2296-2565; 2296-2565
• DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1363866

In China, the prevalence of mental health issues among college students is a significant concern in society. This study aims to investigate the impact of early dietary quality on the psychological well-being of college students and elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which these effects occur, specifically focusing on height and -deficiency as mediators according to Chinese traditional medicine (CTM). A total of 655 college students were surveyed in October 2023 using paper-pencil-based questionnaires at four second-tier universities in Sichuan Province. The assessment included mental health, height, and -deficiency. Pearson's correlation and linear regression analyses were employed to examine the mediation model and test the hypotheses. The college students exhibited acceptable levels of early diet quality ( = 3.72) and mental health ( = 3.63), while also presenting mild -deficiency symptoms ( = 2.25). Their average height was measured at 164.61 cm. Early diet quality demonstrated significant associations with mental health ( = 0.38, < 0.01), height ( = 0.32, < 0.01), and -deficiency ( = -0.32, < 0.01). Mental health displayed correlations with height ( = 0.32, < 0.01) and -deficiency ( = -0.49, < 0.01). The results of linear regression analyses revealed significant associations between early diet quality and mental health ( = 0.31, < 0.01), height ( = 0.21, < 0.01), as well as -deficiency ( = -0.26, < 0.01). Furthermore, when early diet quality was included in the regression model, both height ( = 0.21, < 0.01) and -deficiency ( = -0.35, < 0.01) emerged as significant mediators in the relationship with mental health. The mediation model and hypotheses were strongly supported, demonstrating that early diet quality exerted an influence on the mental health of college students through two distinct pathways: height and -deficiency. Moreover, the mediating effect of -deficiency was found to be more pronounced than that of height in the relationship between early diet quality and mental health among college students.