Data-driven approach to understand associations between dietary patterns, sleep problems, and mental health in adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests a role of diet in sleep disturbances and mental health including internalizing (e.g., anxiety, depression) and externalizing (e.g., aggression, impulsivity) problems. Methods: This study employed a data-driven approach to construct a Sleep-Mental Health-Eating Index and assessed its mediating roles in the relationships between difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep and mental health problems in 11,000 youth aged 9-10 years. Difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep and mental health problems were assessed annually from baseline to Year2, and diet at Year1. The Shapley Additive Explanations analysis was used to derive the eating index. Results: Six dietary categories emerged as important predictors of our outcomes, with whole grains, green vegetables, and berries linked to lower difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep scores, while sweet pastries, fast food, and butter cream linked to higher difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep. Dietary factors explained 2.24% of difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep variation, surpassing demographics (1.21%). For internalizing behaviors, dietary and demographic contributions were similar (1.86% vs. 1.98%). Demographics were the strongest predictors of externalizing symptoms (3.84%). Higher baseline difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep (beta = −0.026, 95% CI: −0.038, −0.015) and internalizing scores (beta = −0.027, 95% CI: −0.035, −0.019) were associated with worse eating index at Year1. Additionally, the eating index mediated relationships between baseline difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep/internalizing problems and Year2 outcomes. Overall, indirect effects range from 3.2% to 7.0%. Conclusions: These findings highlight diet's role in predicting and mediating sleep and mental health outcomes. Healthy foods were associated with fewer sleep difficulties and internalizing problems, while unhealthy foods worsen sleep and behavior problems. Targeting diet may improve interventions addressing adolescent sleep and mental health challenges.