Late-night eating and inactivity: Links to depression and suicide risk in adolescents living in Turkey

Objective

Depression, anxiety, and eating disorders are all common during adolescence. This study aims to investigate the potential relationship between eating at night, physical activity, and depression/suicide risk in adolescents.

Methods

This study followed a cross-sectional descriptive design and involved collecting data from adolescents aged 13–18 years who attend four different high schools. The data collection was done through an online survey using Google Forms. Sociodemographic form, eating at night questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (Short Form), Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, and Suicide Probability Scale were used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed electronically using descriptive statistics and correlation tests to examine relationships between different parameters.

Results

The study revealed significant associations between academic achievement, daily sleep duration, and daily walking distance with depression and suicide probability (p < 0.05) among the participants. Adolescents who consumed food after 10 pm exhibited higher depression and suicide probability scores than their counterparts (p < 0.05). Additionally, an analysis of physical activity levels demonstrated that highly active adolescents had lower depression and suicide probability scores.

Conclusions

In conclusion, this study suggests that there is a significant relationship between eating at night, physical activity, and depression/suicide risk in adolescents. Specifically, academic success, daily sleep duration, daily walking distance, and eating habits were found to be associated with depression and suicide probability. Encouraging physical activity and healthy eating habits, particularly avoiding eating late at night, may be beneficial in reducing the risk of depression and suicide among adolescents.