The Relationship Between Diet Quality and Mental Health in Canadian Children

• Author / Creator

  McMartin, Seanna E.

• Mental health disorders are a significant problem facing children. Emerging research suggests there is a link between nutrition and mental health. This thesis examines the association between diet quality and mental health in children.

  The first objective was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between feeling worried, sad or unhappy and diet quality in grade 5 students. This study found that diet quality was significantly associated with lower odds of feeling worried, sad or unhappy. The second objective was to determine the directionality of the relationship, which examined the relationship between diet quality and internalizing disorders over a period of three years. This study found that children with greater variety in their diet had significantly lower rates of internalizing disorder in subsequent years

  The present findings suggest that quality of the diet rather than specific nutrients may be implicated in the development of mental health disorders. This has important implications due to the modifiable nature of individual diet. Intervention and longitudinal studies are needed to expand on the present findings.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Children
  • Mental Health
  • Nutrition
  • Epidemiology

• Graduation date

  Spring 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3QM5G

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.