Major health-related behaviours and mental well-being in the general population: the Health Survey for England

Abstract

BackgroundMajor behavioural risk factors are known to adversely affect health outcomes and be strongly associated with mental illness. However, little is known about the association of these risk factors with mental well-being in the general population. We sought to examine behavioural correlates of high and low mental well-being in the Health Survey for England.MethodsParticipants were 13 983 adults, aged 16 years and older (56% females), with valid responses for the combined 2010 and 2011 surveys. Mental well-being was assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). ORs of low and high mental well-being, compared to the middle-range category, were estimated for body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking habits, and fruit and vegetable intake.ResultsORs for low mental well-being were increased in obese individuals (up to 1.72, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.36 in BMI 40+ kg/m2). They increased in a linear fashion with increasing smoking (up to 1.98, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.53, >20 cigarettes/day) and with decreasing fruit and vegetable intake (up to 1.53, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.90, <1 portion/day); whereas ORs were reduced for sensible alcohol intake (0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91, ≤4 units/day in men, ≤3 units/day in women). ORs for high mental well-being were not correlated with categories of BMI or alcohol intake. ORs were reduced among ex-smokers (0.81, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.92), as well as with lower fruit and vegetable intake (up to 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92, 1 to <3 portions/day).ConclusionsAlong with smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption was the health-related behaviour most consistently associated with mental well-being in both sexes. Alcohol intake and obesity were associated with low, but not high mental well-being.

Evaluating and establishing national norms for mental wellbeing using the short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS): findings from the Health Survey for England

“…It is important to recognise that these are only seen after adjustment for general health. Adjustment for general health in our models explains the different findings between health behaviours and wellbeing from those of Stranges et al [16], including the non-significant associations between decreased odds of high wellbeing among non-smokers, and increased odds of low wellbeing among obese individuals.…”

“…Low and high categories were based on scores that were at least one standard deviation below and above the mean, respectively [16]. Categories for SWEMWBS were: ‘low’: 7–19.3; ‘medium’: 20.0–27.0; and ‘high’: 28.1–35.…”

“…Differences between predictors of the low end of the wellbeing scale with the high end of the wellbeing scale were also found with health behaviours. Obesity and being a non-drinker of alcohol were associated with the low end of the mental wellbeing scale but not with the high end, while smoking and low fruit and vegetable intake were associated with both increased odds of the low and decreased odds of the high end of the scale [16]. Whether the short seven-item scale exhibits similar properties to the full 14-item scale in a nationally representative sample in England has yet to be explored.…”

The Association between Dietary Quality and Dietary Guideline Adherence with Mental Health Outcomes in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…Data from the Australian PATH Through Life Project, a large community survey involving adults (aged 20–24 ( n = 2280), 40–44 ( n = 2334) and 60–64 years n = 2305)), demonstrated associations between obesity and depression, anxiety and emotional well-being in women, but not in men [44]. Furthermore greater odds ratios for poor well-being (up to 1.72, 95% CI 1.26–2.36) among obese individuals, especially those with BMI > 40kg/m 2 have been reported in the Health Survey for England [24]. Interestingly, being underweight was negatively associated with well-being, whereas being overweight but not obese was positively associated with well-being.…”

“…Therefore the primary objective of the present study was to examine diet-mental associations by examining the relationship between dietary quality, dietary composition and compliance with food pyramid recommendations with depressive symptoms, anxiety and emotional well-being, assessed using the CES-D, HADS-A and WHO-5 tools, in a cross-sectional sample of middle-aged adults. Given the reported influence of gender and obesity on mental health [23,24], secondary objectives included examination of diet-mental health associations in subgroups defined by gender and BMI status.…”