ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
The association of sugar-sweetened beverage intake and conicity index with mental health symptoms among Chinese adolescents.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Mental health issues among adolescents are becoming increasingly prominent, and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake and the conicity index (CI) may be associated with these issues. However, current research provides limited evidence on the combined effects of these two factors. This study aims to investigate the association between SSB intake and CI and mental health symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this study assessed 42,382 middle school students (21,156 males and 21,226 females) nationwide in China in 2024. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the frequency of SSB consumption, mental health symptoms (emotional problems, behavioral problems, and social adjustment difficulties), and covariates. CI was calculated using waist circumference, height, and weight. Logistic regression and joint effects analysis were employed, with stepwise adjustment for age, mode of commuting, breakfast frequency, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Results: Among 42,382 adolescents, the prevalence of mental health symptoms was 20.9% (males 21.4% vs. females 20.5%). SSB intake ≥5 times/week (OR = 1.66) and the highest CI quartile (OR = 1.17) were independently associated with mental health symptoms. The combined effect was strongest for high SSB with highest CI (OR = 2.12), with a stronger combined association among individuals with both exposures, particularly in females (OR = 3.41). Conclusion: SSB intake and CI were both independently associated with for mental health symptoms among Chinese adolescents, and there is a synergistic effect between the two. Findings suggest that lower SSB intake and lower central adiposity are associated with adolescents' mental health; gender differences suggest the need to develop targeted intervention strategies.
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.