Adherence to the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and Its Association with Depression Score in A Sample of Iranian Adolescent Girls

Sahar  Mohseni-Takalloo; Amin  Salehi-Abargouei; Gordon A. Ferns; Majid  Ghayour-Mobarhan; Sayyed Saeid  Khayyatzadeh

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v8i3.13292

Sahar Mohseni-Takalloo Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Amin Salehi-Abargouei Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Gordon A. Ferns Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Division of Medical Education, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN1 9PH, UK
Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Sayyed Saeid Khayyatzadeh Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran;

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v8i3.13292

Keywords: Depression; Healthy eating index; HEI-2015; Diet quality; Adolescent

Abstract

Background: Depression in adolescents is one of the major public health concerns that can affect educational attainment and social relationships and impose a high economic burden on society. Previous studies have provided limited information on the relationship between a healthy diet and depression in adolescents. The present study aimed to investigate the association of Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) with depression scores among adolescent girls.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 734 adolescent girls aged 12-18 years. Data on dietary intakes were collected using a valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and diet quality was assessed based on HEI-2015. The Iranian validated version of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to evaluate depression. To explore the association between HEI-2015 and depression, logistic regression was used in crude and adjusted models.

Results: The prevalence of a high depression score in the study population was 33.8%. After controlling for potential confounders, girls with the highest adherence to HEI-2015 compared to those with the lowest adherence had a 37% lower prevalence of depression (OR: 0.63; 95% CI 0.40 to 1.00, P_trend=0.03). This finding remained significant after adjustment for confounding variables (age, energy intakes, physical activity, and BMI percentile).

Conclusions: Greater adherence to HEI-2015 was associated with lower odds of depression in female adolescents. Prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results and clarify whether a causal relationship exists.