ArticleCureus2025
Association Between Dietary Habits and Depressive Symptoms in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Japanese Version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-J).
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective Amid growing concerns about mental health among young people in Japan, particularly the rising suicide rate linked to depression, this study aimed to cross-sectionally investigate the association between dietary habits and depressive symptoms in university students, from the perspective of nutritional psychiatry. Methods A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted using Google Forms (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA), with 451 students at Hosei University in 2022. The survey consisted of an original questionnaire on dietary habits and the Japanese version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-J). Based on the QIDS-J scores, participants were divided into two groups (with or without depressive symptoms), using a cutoff score of 6. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated dietary factors. Results Of the valid respondents, 46.3% exhibited mild or more severe depressive symptoms (QIDS-J ≥ 6). Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors significantly associated with depressive symptoms were the consumption of high-carbohydrate meals, skipping breakfast, having a nutritionally imbalanced diet, self-awareness of irregular eating habits, and a desire to diet. The consumption of high-carbohydrate meals was suggested to have the strongest association. Furthermore, the association regarding the intake of soft drinks was reversed between athletic dormitory students and general students, indicating that lifestyle differences acted as a confounding factor. Conclusion This study suggests that unhealthy dietary habits among university students are potentially associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. In particular, a carbohydrate-centered diet is presumed to have a significant impact on mental health. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to determine the causal relationships in greater detail.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.