Frontiers in Psychiatry (May 2020)

Association Between Screen Time, Fast Foods, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents

  • Honglv Xu,
  • Honglv Xu,
  • Jichang Guo,
  • Yuhui Wan,
  • Yuhui Wan,
  • Shichen Zhang,
  • Shichen Zhang,
  • Rong Yang,
  • Rong Yang,
  • Huiqiong Xu,
  • Huiqiong Xu,
  • Peng Ding,
  • Peng Ding,
  • Fangbiao Tao,
  • Fangbiao Tao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00458
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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ObjectiveAlthough previous studies have shown that screen time (ST), fast foods (FFs) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption are associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents, research on these associations in Chinese adolescents is scarce. This study aimed to examine the association between ST, FFs, SSBs and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents, and explore the mediating effects of FFs and SSBs in the association between ST and depressive symptoms.MethodsThis school-based nationwide survey was carried out among 14,500 students in four provinces of China. The Children’s Depression Inventory was used to assess the participants’ depressive symptoms. ST, FFs and SSBs consumption was measured by a self-reported questionnaire. The Bayesian multiple mediation model was used to analyze the mediation effect.ResultsST, FFs and SSBs, were more likely to be associated with depressive symptoms, and ORs (95%CI) was 1.075 (1.036–1.116), 1.062 (1.046–1.078) and 1.140 (1.115–1.166), after we adjusted for sociodemographic variables. Additionally, in Bayesian multiple mediation model, direct effect, mediating effect, total effect, the ratio of mediating effect to total effect was 0.125, 0.034, 0.159, and 0.214, respectively. All path coefficients of the three mediation paths are statistically significant (p < 0.05).ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that ST, FFs and SSBs consumption are associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. It is likely that FFs and SSBs partially mediate the association between ST and depressive symptoms by chain-mediating effects.

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