Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has seriously threatened the health of people around the world. To prevent the spread of the epidemic, Chinese universities have implemented closed management of campuses. The implementation of restrictive measures has gradually caused changes in the quality of sleep and the psychological state of college students. In addition, college students are faced with the dual pressure of employment and study, and the psychological pressure is huge. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate sleep and depressive symptoms among college students. Methods: Using the method of stratified cluster sampling, 6695 college students were selected from three universities in Jiangxi, Anhui, and Xinjiang provinces from April to May 2022. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used for the survey. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the PSQI and the SDS. Results: Overall, during the outbreak of COVID-19, 69.0% of males and 73.5% of females had poor sleep quality among Chinese college students and the detection rate of depressive symptoms was 43.6% for males and 47.8% for females, respectively. Taking students with good sleep quality as references, after controlling for covariates, hierarchical logistic regression shows that Chinese college students with poor sleep quality have a higher OR value (OR = 12.0, 95%CI: 10.2~14.1, p < 0.001), especially in males (OR = 43.8, 95%CI:30.2~63.6, p < 0.001). For both males and females, the OR value of college students with the following characteristics was higher: rural college students (males, OR = 50.32, 95%CI: 32.50–77.93; females, OR = 8.03, 95%CI: 6.45–9.99), overweight college students (males, OR = 62.17, 95%CI: 19.47–198.53; females, OR = 16.67, 95%CI: 6.48–42.88), and college students drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (males, OR = 59.00, 95%CI: 36.96–94.18; females, OR = 8.16, 95%CI: 6.63–10.05) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese college students, especially college males. Our research suggests that it is necessary to consider the improvement of sleep quality and depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 epidemic.

BackgroundMental health of college students has become a public health issue of common concern worldwide. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem has become even more acute. The aim of this study was to assess the association between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption and psychological symptoms among Chinese college students in order to promote their mental health.MethodsThe study population was 6,120 college students aged 19–22 years from Anhui, Henan and Xinjiang, China. Basic demographic information, covariates and SSB Consumption data were collected through a self-assessment questionnaire. The “Multidimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents” was used to assess the psychological symptoms of college students. The Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the differences and associations between SSB consumption and psychological symptoms among Chinese college students.ResultsThe detection rate of psychological symptoms among Chinese college students was 8.1%. The detection rate of boys students was 9.4% and that of girls students was 7.1%, and the difference was statistically significant in comparison (χ2-value was 11.08, p &lt; 0.001). After controlling for covariates, Model 2 analysis showed that compared to SSB consumption &lt;2 time/week, college students with SSB consumption ≥2 time/week (OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 2.36, 3.70) had a higher risk of psychological symptoms (p &lt; 0.001). The same trend was found for emotional symptoms, behavioral symptoms, and social adaptation difficulties dimensions.ConclusionThere is an association between SSB consumption and the occurrence of psychological symptoms among Chinese college students. Future measures should be taken to reduce both SSB consumption and the incidence of psychological symptoms.

Background Malnutrition or insufficient physical activity (PA) is a risk factor for obesity and chronic disease in children and adolescents. Affected by different economic circumstance, ethnic, dietary behavior, physical activity and other factors, children and adolescents in Xinjiang, China are facing a severe situation of overweight and obesity prevention and control. It is necessary to analyze the dietary behavior and physical activity of children and adolescents with different nutritional status and the relationship between them. Methods Using a stratified cluster sampling method in Xinjiang, China, 4833 middle school students aged 13–18 were selected., and tests for height and weight were conducted. Self-assessment questionnaires were completed for Dietary Behaviors, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviors as well. Chi-square test, Logistic regression analysis and other methods were used to analyze the relationship between Dietary Behaviors, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviors and other health behavior risk factors and Weight and BMI. Results Children and adolescents aged 13–18 in Xinjiang, China, girls had a lower BMI compared with boys(19.49 VS. 20.41). The proportions of Underweight, Overweight and Obese among girls were lower (Underweight: 11.8 VS. 14.5; Overweight: 7.6 VS. 12.7; Obese 2.3 VS. 7.0).Boys with higher risk of sedentary had a 1.46-fold higher risk of developing Overweight/Obese than those with lower risk of sedentary (95%CI: 1.07–2.01).Girls with higher risky diet had a 1.56-fold higher risk of developing Underweight than those with lower risky diet (95%CI: 1.11–2.19). For all participants, the risk of Overweight/Obese in children and adolescents with higher risk of sedentary was 1.45 times more than that of children and adolescents with lower Risk sedentary (95%CI: 1.12 ~ 1.88). Overall, Weight had a significant correlation with PA risk (r = 0.076, P < 0.01) and sedentary behavior risk (r = 0.035, P < 0.05). BMI had a key correlation with PA risk (r = 0.064, P < 0.01) and sedentary behavior risk (r = 0.037, P < 0.05). Conclusions The detection rate of Underweight among children and adolescents aged 13–18 in Xinjiang, China is higher, while the detection rate of Overweight and Obese is lower than that of the whole country. Static behavior was an important factor affecting the occurrence of Overweight and Obese in children and adolescents, and the performance of boys was more obvious than that of girls.The results further improve the data on the weight status of Chinese children and adolescents and their influencing factors, and call on Chinese society and schools to continue their efforts to prevent and reduce malnutrition and obesity among children and adolescents in Xinjiang.