Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Aging Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1489387

Meat-Egg-Dairy Consumption and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Older Adults: Exploring Rural/Urban and Gender Disparities

Provisionally accepted
Boyu Si Boyu Si Keqing Zhang Keqing Zhang *
  • Beijing Foreign Studies University, Haidian District, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examines the association between Meat, Egg, and Dairy (MED) product consumption and depressive symptoms among older adults in China, focusing on rural/urban and gender differences. Using data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), the findings revealed a consistent negative relationship between MED consumption and depression, with higher MED intake associated with lower depression levels. Urban residents and males exhibited higher MED consumption, which correlated with less depressive symptoms. However, the impact of MED consumption on depression varied by subgroups; urban older adults benefited more from MED consumption than their rural counterparts, and the relationship between MED intake and depression was more pronounced in males than in females. The study highlighted the influence of sociodemographic factors, such as literacy, income, and self-rated health, on depression levels. The results suggested that MED consumption may offer protective effects on mental health in older adults, although the association may not be causal. The study underscored the need for further research to explore the complex interplay between diet and mental health in older adults, particularly in diverse cultural contexts.

    Keywords: Depressive symptom, MED consumption, Depression, Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, Rural/urban disparities, gender differences

    Received: 01 Sep 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Si and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Keqing Zhang, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Haidian District, 100089, Beijing Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.