Dietary habits and mental health among students at the University of Sarajevo
Keywords:
mental health, dietary habits, proper nutrition, positive mental healthAbstract
Proper nutrition plays an important role in shaping our thinking and behaviour, and influences how food intake affects our emotions. The aim of the work was to assess the dietary habits and mental health of students. The study is a quantitative, cross-sectional research with observational-analytical methods. Students were selected using the convenience sampling method. Out of the total number of participants who participated in the study N=805. More frequent consumption of cakes/biscuits, fresh fruits, salad/raw vegetables, lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausages and fish/seafood positively correlates with positive mental health. The development of the participants’ sense of coherence directly positively correlates with more frequent consumption of fresh fruit, lemonade/soft drinks and meat/sausages. Participants who consume fresh fruit, salad/raw vegetable, and lemonade/soft drinks less frequently perceive higher levels of stress. Frequent consumption of lemonade/soft drinks is negatively associated with anxiety, and along with meat/sausages, with depressive symptoms. Mental health correlates with the food categories cakes/biscuits, fresh fruit, salad/raw vegetable, lemonade/soft drinks, meat/sausages, fish/seafood, and fast/canned food.
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