Depression and anxiety are significant contributors to global disease burden and disability. In 2022, around 12.6 million young adults reported experiencing a mental illness, an increase of over 1 million compared to 2021. Women generally have higher rates of mental illness compared to men. College students, in particular, face a higher incidence of mental health problems, which can affect social connections, academic performance, and overall health, potentially leading to long-term negative impact.
Research indicates that diet quality, sleep, and substance use are linked to mental health. A high-quality diet is associated with reduced symptoms of depression, while poor diet correlates with increased symptoms of mental illness. Poor sleep is both a symptom and a contributor to depression. While much research has focused on individual lifestyle factors, their combined effect on mental health, particularly in young adults and college-going women, is less explored.
A study carried out by Armstrong et al., recently published in the journal “Nutrients” explored the relationship between lifestyle factors (diet quality, sleep duration, alcohol consumption, tobacco/nicotine use) and mental illness (anxiety and depression) in college-going women; the influence of both, individual and combined lifestyle factors on mental illness symptoms was studied.
There was a significant association between alcohol consumption and mental illness (p = 0.049). Participants with fewer unhealthy lifestyle habits had milder symptoms of depression (p = 0.009) and anxiety (p <0.001) compared to those with more unhealthy behaviors (see graphic).
(Source: Armstrong N, Fu Z, Woolf K. The relationship between lifestyle behaviors and mental illness in women in college. Nutrients. 2024;16(14):2211. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142211)