Citation

Pan X, Zhang C, Shi Z. Acta Paediatr. 2011; 100(11): e215-22.

Affiliation

Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China Epidemiology Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, 20852, USA Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02369.x

PMID

21627691

Abstract

Aim:  Greater soft drink consumption was associated with increased risk of mental health problems in Western countries. The objective of the study was to examine the association between soft drink and sweet food consumption and suicidal behaviors among adolescents in China. Methods:  In 2005, a population based cross-sectional study was conducted in 100 schools in Jiangsu Province, China. Participants were aged 12-19 years old (n=21,570). Results:  Among the participants, 20.5% reported daily soft drink consumption; 18.6% reported having suicidal ideation. Soft drink consumption was significantly and positively associated with risk of suicidal plan or suicide attempt. Prevalence of suicidal plan was12.8% among those who consumed soft drink at least 3 times per day and 6.2% among those who did not consume any soft drinks. In multivariate analyses, compared with soft drink consumption less than once per day, consumption at least 3 times per day was associated with 80% increased risk for suicidal plan and more than 3.5 fold increased risk for suicide attempt. Of note, non-consumption of soft drinks was also associated with about 32% elevated risk for suicidal plan and suicidal attempt. High frequency intake of sweet food was associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviours. Conclusions:  There is a positive association between consumption of soft drinks and sweet food and risks for suicidal behaviors among adolescents in China. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Language: en