Ssm-Population Health最新文献

{"title":"The role of sidewalk availability in gentrification: A longitudinal study of U.S. neighborhoods and racial/ethnic composition","authors":"Najma Abdi ,&nbsp;Adam Szpiro ,&nbsp;Stephen J. Mooney ,&nbsp;Quynh Nguyen ,&nbsp;Jana A. Hirsch ,&nbsp;Brian E. Saelens","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101868","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101868","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Gentrification may displace lower-income populations, particularly in neighborhoods where the majority of residents identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC). While the health impacts of gentrification and displacement have been explored, little is known about how pedestrian infrastructure (e.g. sidewalks) may be associated with gentrification. This study assesses whether sidewalk availability is associated with gentrification and changes in BIPOC population, with attention to differences between urban and suburban/small-town contexts where patterns of demographic change may diverge, including potential change in BIPOC population by context.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Utilizing the Logitudinal Tract Database and U.S. national sidewalk availability, we conducted a longitudinal observational study of 26,498 gentrifiable census tracts limited to urban/suburban/smal town areas across the US in 2010–2020. Sidewalk availability was defined as the proportion of Google Street images within a given census tract that have at least one sidewalk. We used logistic regression to examine the association between sidewalk availability and gentrification and linear regression to assess changes in BIPOC residential composition between 2010 and 2020 in gentrified neighborhoods. Sensitivity and supplementary analysis was conducted for a stratified models by BIPOC thresholds (40 %, 50 %, 60 %) and urban/suburban outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sidewalk availability was significantly associated with higher odds of gentrification in all tracts (OR: 1.119; 95 % CI: 1.032–1.212; p = 0.0065) and in BIPOC-majority tracts (OR: 1.216; 95 % CI: 1.088–1.359; p &lt; 0.001). In gentrified neighborhoods, sidewalk availability was associated with a reduction in the percentage of BIPOC residents (−0.016 per 0.1-unit; 95 % CI: −0.027, −0.006; p &lt; 0.002) and a significant decline in the absolute number of BIPOC individuals (−81.2; 95 % CI: −114.78, −47.69; p &lt; 0.001). Supplementary analyses indicated divergence by context: in urban gentrified tracts, each 0.1-unit higher sidewalk availability was associated with −0.020 percentage points in BIPOC share (95 % CI –126.5, −57.2; p &lt; 0.001) and −91.86 BIPOC residents (95 % CI −126.51, −57.22; p &lt; 0.001); in suburban/small-town gentrified tracts, it was associated with +0.036 percentage points (95 % CI: 0.001, 0.071; p = 0.042) and +165 BIPOC residents (95 % CI 45.1, 285.8; p = 0.007).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our results demonstrate a consistent relationship between sidewalk availability and gentrification, although different associations with BIPOC population change by context, contributing to the ongoing discourse on gentrification, urban development, and neighborhood change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101868"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of solitary confinement and in-custody mortality in North Carolina State Prisons, 2021–2023","authors":"Katherine LeMasters ,&nbsp;Sara N. Levintow ,&nbsp;Jennifer Lao ,&nbsp;Erin McCauley ,&nbsp;Craig Waleed ,&nbsp;Zaire Cullins ,&nbsp;M. Forrest Behne ,&nbsp;Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101865","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101865","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Solitary confinement is associated with increased mortality post-release. Little is known about its use following recent reforms and COVID-19 challenges, and its association with in-custody deaths. We investigated patterns of and associations between solitary confinement and mortality in North Carolina (NC) state prisons.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using weekly housing data from Disability Rights NC, we created a retrospective cohort of those newly incarcerated in NC prisons between 2021 and 2023. We calculated the weekly proportion of individuals experiencing solitary confinement for 2+ weeks by type (e.g., administrative purposes). We calculated all-cause mortality rates stratified by those who did and did not experience solitary confinement.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Nearly one-quarter of 41,525 individuals in NC state prisons experienced solitary confinement. By the end of follow-up, over 6.0 % of individuals were in solitary confinement per week, and there were 43 in-custody deaths. Those who never experienced solitary confinement had an all-cause mortality rate of 1.96 per 100,000 person-weeks (95 % CI: 1.32, 2.82), and those who experienced solitary confinement had an all-cause mortality rate of 4.23 per 100,000 person-weeks (95 % CI: 2.31, 7.09).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Solitary confinement is common in NC prisons and is associated with elevated death rates in custody. There is an urgent need to document the types and duration of solitary stays to ultimately end this punitive practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101865"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The contribution of unpaid labour to poor mental health in the Swedish working population","authors":"Anu Molarius ,&nbsp;Fredrik Granström ,&nbsp;Jennifer Ervin","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101864","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101864","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Poor mental health is debilitating and of global public health concern. Unpaid labour has been recognised as an important yet neglected, and highly gendered, determinant of mental health. We examined the contribution of unpaid labour to poor mental health, in relation to other known risk factors, in employed adults. Study data is from 5462 employed Swedish women and men aged 30–49 years responding to a population survey in 2022. Independent associations between domestic work (inclusive of unpaid household and care work) and self-reported diagnosed depression and anxiety were examined by multiple logistic regression. The contributions of economic difficulties, loneliness, physical inactivity, risk consumption of alcohol and job dissatisfaction to depression and anxiety were also investigated. Gender-specific population attributable risks (PAR) were calculated to assess the contributions. In total, 10 % of the women and 6 % of the men reported depression while 12 % and 6 %, respectively, reported anxiety. Experiencing domestic work as burdensome explained 47 % (95 % CI: 31–57 %) (PAR) of the prevalence of depression in women, whereas no independent association was found in men. Loneliness, economic difficulties and physical inactivity accounted for 13–28 % of the prevalence of depression in both women and men. Burdensome domestic work was associated with anxiety in both genders and explained 22–25 % of the prevalence. Whilst longitudinal studies are needed, these results imply that unpaid labour is a highly important contributing factor to poor mental health, especially among women. Promoting a more equal division of unpaid labour has the potential to improve mental health across the working population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101864"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"To work or not to work? Child stunting and maternal labour force participation in South Africa","authors":"Fru Awah Wanka ,&nbsp;Maame Esi Woode ,&nbsp;Coretta Maame Panyin Jonah ,&nbsp;Julian Douglas May","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101863","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101863","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stunting, which affects about one-quarter of South African children below five years, has a long-term effect on a child's development and a potential economic cost to mothers. A stunted child necessitates more attention, thereby reducing the time a mother, especially if she is the primary caregiver, has available to seize labour market opportunities. This study investigated the relationship between child stunting and maternal labour force participation (MLFP) in South Africa, using a bivariate probit regression model. Data was sourced from the 2017 South African National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). Using maternal height and improved water supply at home as instrumental variables to control for potential endogeneity, the average marginal effect model indicates that caring for a stunted child is associated with a 20 % reduction in MLFP, on average, at a 1 % statistical significance level. In addition to mothers' intrinsic merit of protecting their children, measures to prevent childhood stunting, such as nutrition education and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, can improve MLFP. A more flexible working arrangement could facilitate mothers' engagement in the labour force while caring for their stunted children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101863"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145057300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of hearing aid use on depression and quality of life in older patients with age-related hearing loss: A focus on social relationships","authors":"Woo-Ri Lee ,&nbsp;Sungyoun Chun ,&nbsp;Kangju Son ,&nbsp;Hyun Seung Choi ,&nbsp;You Young An","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101861","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101861","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hearing loss is a sensory deficit prevalent in older adults. In South Korea, over 40 % of individuals aged 60 and older reportedly experience unilateral or bilateral hearing loss. An association between perceived social support and satisfaction with hearing aid use has been reported. Although most previous studies focused on the direct effects of hearing aid use, its impact on social relationships remains poorly explored. We analyzed data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging between 2006 and 2022 for those aged 65 years or above. Outcome measures in this study were depressive symptoms and self-reported quality of life (QoL) scores. The independent variable in this study was hearing aid use. A regression analysis was performed using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model. Additionally, the interaction effect between hearing aids and social relationships was examined by performing an interaction term analysis. Of the 554 participants, 177 (31.9 %) used hearing aids. GEE analysis revealed that participants who used hearing aids had a lower depressive symptoms score (β = −0.328, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = −0.625 to −0.031) and higher self-reported QoL (β = 2.193, 95 % CI = 0.060 to 4.327). The interaction term analysis demonstrated a significant interaction effect between hearing aid use and social relationships. Hearing aid use was associated with reduced depressive symptoms and enhanced QoL in older adults with hearing loss. These effects were further moderated by the strength of social relationships, underscoring the importance of both auditory and social interventions in promoting mental and emotional well-being in aging societies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101861"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The association between neighborhood context, allostatic load, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis liver disease in Mexican-origin farmworkers along the Southern Arizona US/Mexico border","authors":"A. Maldonado ,&nbsp;E. Torres ,&nbsp;M. Flores ,&nbsp;M. Rodriguez ,&nbsp;E.A. Villavicencio ,&nbsp;R. Torres ,&nbsp;I. Castro ,&nbsp;F. Torres ,&nbsp;J.C. Loya ,&nbsp;N. Alkhouri ,&nbsp;S. Carvajal ,&nbsp;Garcia","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101862","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101862","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Mexican-origin farmworkers experience disproportionately high rates of chronic diseases which increase their risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis liver disease (MASLD). While it has been found that neighborhood-level factors influence health as much as individual-level characteristics, including allostatic load (ALoad), these factors have been less examined in MASLD research. This study examined the association between perceived neighborhood environment, ALoad, and MASLD. It also examined whether ALoad is a mediator between perceived neighborhood context and MASLD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multivariable binary logistic and linear regressions were fitted to analyze data from a community-based sample of 151 Mexican-origin farmworkers residing in the Southern Arizona border region. Self-reported data on six dimensions of neighborhood context was collected. Allostatic load was calculated as an index of physiological dysregulation. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were assessed by liver stiffness measurements (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) through FibroScan®. MASLD were identified as having a CAP score of ≥288 dB/m.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The mean age was 49.7 ± 14.1 years, mean BMI 31.9 ± 6.5 kg/m2, and 9.9 % had type 2 diabetes. The mean CAP score was, <em>M</em> = 265.8 ± 61.0 with 41.1 % of the sample exhibiting MASLD status. Perceived neighborhood violence was not associated with MASLD status; however, it was negatively associated with ALoad, (<em>p</em> = 0.003). ALoad was a negative mediator between perceived violence and MASLD status (<em>p</em> = 0.004).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The results of this study inform the development of culturally relevant strategies to reduce Mexican-origin farmworkers’ risk for MASLD that are highly responsive to the structural and systemic forces that shape their lived experience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"32 ","pages":"Article 101862"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two decades of end-of-life conditions of older adults: older and more protracted?","authors":"Dorly J.H. Deeg ,&nbsp;H. Roeline W. Pasman ,&nbsp;Martijn Huisman ,&nbsp;Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101858","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101858","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The mortality decline during the past decades has postponed the age at death. Dying at older ages may involve alterations in health trajectories at the end of life. This study examined 10-year period differences in level and changes in health conditions from 3 months to 3 days before death. Distinction was made between cancer and non-cancer decedents, because their trajectories are known to differ.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data were provided by proxies of participants in the Dutch population-based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, who died between 2005–2009 (midyear 2008) and 2017–2019 (midyear 2018), with complete data for 162 and 124 decedents, respectively. Health conditions included functional limitations, symptom severity, and low consciousness.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Average age at death increased from 81.0 (2008) to 83.5 (2018). 48 % of decedents were men. Cancer constituted 33 % of causes of death. Controlling for sex, age at death, and education, non-cancer decedents experienced more often low consciousness at 3 months before death in 2018 than in 2008. At 3 months in 2018, cancer decedents experienced fewer functional limitations than in 2008 and fewer than non-cancer decedents. In both periods, cancer decedents experienced steeper functional declines than non-cancer decedents. Trajectories of symptom severity were similar in cancer and non-cancer decedents in both periods.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>In non-cancer decedents, but not in cancer decedents, the dying process was more protracted in 2018 than in 2008. Level and increase in symptom severity did not improve over time for both cancer and non-cancer decedents, suggesting that improvement of palliative care is warranted for both groups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article 101858"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community-based social assistance programs and household food insecurity among de novo food-aid seekers in Quebec, Canada","authors":"E.J. Pérez ,&nbsp;M. Carabali ,&nbsp;G. Mercille ,&nbsp;M.P. Sylvestre ,&nbsp;R. Blanchet ,&nbsp;F. Roncarolo ,&nbsp;M. Schnitzer ,&nbsp;L. Potvin","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101859","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101859","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To examine the association between the use of community-based social assistance programs (CB-SAPs) and the reduction of household food insecurity among de novo food-aid seekers in Quebec, Canada.</div></div><div><h3>Study design</h3><div>Prospective Cohort Study.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A longitudinal observational study was conducted using a sample of 915 newly registered food-aid seekers in Quebec's food banks from <em>The Pathways</em> cohort study (2018–2020). The outcome was any reduction in the severity of Household Food Insecurity. Exposures included three CB-SAPS:1) using food donations, 2) using food-management related CB-SAPs (other than food donations), and 3) using CB-SAPs unrelated to food. We used Longitudinal Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (LTMLE) to estimate the Relative Risk (RR) and LTMLE for working Marginal Structural Models to estimate Average Additive Treatment Effects (ATE) of the relationship between the use of CB-SAPs and Household Food Insecurity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The use of CB-SAPs showed a trend towards reduction of Household Food Insecurity. Compared to households using exclusively food banks at baseline, households with multiple-food-acquisition (Multiple AFS) health-promoting practices were more likely to reduce (in the relative scale) Household Food Insecurity by using: food donations (RR: 1.30; 95 %CI:1.01, 1.60); food-management related CB-SAPs (RR: 1.28; 95 %CI:1.03, 1.58); and CB-SAPs unrelated to food (RR: 1.33; 95 %CI:1.03, 1.62). Multiple AFS showed a reduction in the Household Food Insecurity (absolute) scale, especially among food-management related CB-SAPs users (ATE: −0.24; 95 %CI: 0.43, −0.04).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>CB-SAPs use contributes to reducing Household Food Insecurity. This contribution varies depending on the food-acquisition health-promoting practices of food-aid seeker households.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article 101859"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144924717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introduction to the special issue collection, How and why are health inequalities changing over time?","authors":"Victoria Tan ,&nbsp;Arjumand Siddiqi ,&nbsp;Falan Bennett ,&nbsp;Mabel Carabali","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101823","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article 101823"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depressive symptoms among single-person households: roles of dietary habits and frequency of eating meals with others","authors":"Soyoung Lee ,&nbsp;Hyewon Park ,&nbsp;Chung Ho Kim ,&nbsp;Bomi Park","doi":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101856","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ssmph.2025.101856","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global prevalence of single-person households is rapidly increasing. However, emerging evidence indicates that individuals living alone are at greater risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the mediating roles of dietary quality and eating companionship in the relationship between household type and depressive symptoms. Data from the 2016, 2018, and 2020 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed, comprising 13,357 participants aged ≥20 years. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), dietary quality with the Korean Healthy Eating Index, and eating companionship through the frequency of eating alone. Logistic regression and causal mediation analyses were performed, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic variables. Sampling weights were applied to ensure national representativeness. Individuals in single-person households exhibited significantly higher odds of experiencing mild-to-severe (PHQ-9 ≥5) and moderate-to-severe (PHQ-9 ≥10) depressive symptoms compared with those in multi-person households across all age groups. Lower dietary quality and a higher frequency of eating alone were significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms. Causal mediation analysis indicated that dietary quality accounted for 8.4 % and 10.7 % of the associations with mild-to-severe and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, respectively, while the frequency of eating alone mediated 30.3 % and 38.5 % of these associations. Poor dietary quality and frequent solitary eating mediate the association between living alone and depressive symptoms. Public health interventions that encourage healthier eating habits and promote shared mealtimes may help alleviate depressive symptoms among the increasing population of individuals living alone.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47780,"journal":{"name":"Ssm-Population Health","volume":"31 ","pages":"Article 101856"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144988310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}