Analysis of the Association between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Dietary Behaviors in Adolescents -Data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the status of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among adolescents and its association with dietary behaviors, utilizing the raw data from the 17th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS). This study included 45,106 participants categorized into the low-risk (LRG, 88.3%) and high-risk (HRG, 11.7%) groups for GAD. The analysis of the effect of GAD on dietary behaviors revealed that in the HRG, there was a likelihood of consuming fast food (over 5 times/week), odds ratio (OR): 1.548 for males. Similarly, for females, there was a likelihood of consuming fast food (3-4 times/week), OR: 1.744 for females. For females, there was a decrease in the frequency of eating breakfast (0-2 times/week, OR: 1.109) and an increase in consuming sweetened beverages (over 5 times/week, OR: 1.433). While, in the analysis of the influence of dietary behaviors on GAD, it was found that in males, consuming sweetened beverages (over 5 times/week) increased the likelihood of being in the HRG, OR: 1.279. Additionally, the probability of being in the HRG increased gradually with the frequency of consumption of fast food (3-4 times/week, and over 5 times/week), with ORs 1.133 and 1.564, respectively. For females, the likelihood of being in the HRG increased by OR: 1.113 when having breakfast 0-2 times/week. Moreover, as the frequency of consuming sweetened beverages (over 5 times/week) and fast food (over 3-4 times/week) increased, the probability of being in the HRG also increased with ORs 1.436 and 1.745, respectively. This study confirms the association between GAD and dietary behaviors, suggesting that this should be incorporated into the appropriate procedures for the management of GAD.