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Diet and wellbeing in undergraduate students

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Gareth RichardsORCiD

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Abstract

It is well established that poor diet can cause physical complications, such as obesity, diabetes and scurvy. However, nutrition is also known to exert subtle effects on cognition, mood and behaviour. Initial cross-sectional data from a longitudinal research project are presented in order to explore relationships between diet and mental wellbeing in young adults. Data were collected from a cohort of first year undergraduate psychology students (N = 193) through questionnaires administered at a departmental introduction to research event held in the first week of the academic year. Eighteen items relating to frequency of dietary consumption were factor analysed, producing a two-factor model. The first factor consistedof unhealthy dietary variables, and the second factor consisted of healthy dietary variables. Initial analyses suggest that certain aspects of mental wellbeing may be related to these dietary factors, with healthy diet predicting above average mental wellbeing, and unhealthy diet predicting below average mental wellbeing. These results therefore indicate that dietary change may have potential as an intervention to improve mental wellbeing.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Richards G, Smith AP

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Appetite

Year: 2014

Volume: 83

Pages: 362-362

Print publication date: 01/12/2014

Online publication date: 23/10/2014

Acceptance date: 21/03/2014

Date deposited: 05/07/2018

ISSN (print): 0195-6663

ISSN (electronic): 1095-8304

Publisher: Elsevier BV

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.06.099

DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.06.099

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