title: The contribution of lifestyle factors to depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional study in Chinese college students.
abstract: It is well known that some lifestyle factors are related to depression, but their cumulative contribution to the depression remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the importance of multiple lifestyle factors in contributing to depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. Between September and December in 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 1907 Chinese college students from Guangzhou, Southern China. College students completed self-administered questionnaires and reported their lifestyle factors including sleep quality and duration, Internet use, smoking, drinking, exercise, outdoor activity or sunlight exposure, and eating breakfast. Depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms were defined as the CES-D score ≥16. Among all the students, 29.7% reported mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. Higher quality and longer duration of sleep, more exercises, more outdoor activities or sunlight exposures, and eating breakfast daily were associated with a lower CES-D score, which could explain 11.3% of variance of the CES-D score, after adjusting for socio-demographics, family history, interpersonal relationship, and academic characteristics using hierarchical multivariable linear regression. These associations were comparable between males and females. The protective role of healthy lifestyles should be considered in intervention programs for improving mental health among college students.
authors: Department of Non-communicable Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Baoan Chronic Diseases Prevent and Cure Hospital, Baoan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Qi
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: gdpuppt@126.com.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Yang
authors: Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, 3435 Main St., G56 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY 14214-3000, USA. Electronic address: xiaozhongwen@hotmail.com.
authors: Xiaozhong
authors: X
authors: Wen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); College students; Depressive symptoms; Early adulthood; Lifestyles