Association of macronutrient intake, physical activity, anxiety, and depression with sleep quality among Iranian male adolescents

Abstract

Background Adolescence is a unique stage of life accompanied by physiological and psychological modifications, along with stress, confusion, and depression. Materials and methods The present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional research was done on 267 male adolescents who studied at high schools in Zanjan, Iran. Demographic characteristics questionnaires, a 48-item food frequency questionnaire, a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to collect data. Results The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) of age, weight, height, and sitting time was 15.94 +/- 0.91 years, 68.53 +/- 15.28 kg, 1.75 +/- 0.06 m, and 449.25 +/- 322.06 min, respectively. The study results showed that students with poor sleep quality showed a higher rate of depression than those with good sleep quality in the high and low physical activity groups (p < 0.05). The stress, depression, and anxiety scores significantly correlated with sleep quality in the physical activity groups (p < 0.05). The structural equation model analysis results showed that mental health directly affected sleep quality; this association was significant in the low physical activity group. Conclusion We found that sleep quality was independently related to mental health in young Iranian men. However, dietary intake was not a significant predictor of mental health or sleep quality. More studies are required to evaluate the association between dietary intake and sleep quality in adults.