Was There a Relationship Between Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Mental Health of College Students During COVID-19?

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between average daily intake of fruits and vegetables and mental health in college students as measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). METHODS: A survey was developed to assess college students’ fruit and vegetable intake and recent mental health using the Eating at America's Table Food Frequency Questionnaire (EAT) and the DASS-21. The survey was administered via Qualtrics in the initial three months after lockdown began due to COVID-19 in the area. Trained researchers coded the DASS-21 for the presence and level of depression, anxiety, and stress. The EAT was used to calculate the average number of fruits and vegetables consumed daily by each student by calculating the total number of cups of each fruit and vegetable as counted by the USDA MyPlate tool. Pearson's correlations were run between the average daily number of fruits and vegetables consumed and the severity score for depression, anxiety, and stress to determine whether relationships existed between the variables of interest. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-six students responded to the survey. Students were an average of 21.7 years of age (std dev. 4.4 years), mostly female (54.7%), freshmen (30.1%), who were enrolled full-time (69.3%). Most students identified as single (65.2%), and not in a relationship (35.6%), and as living off-campus (34.8%). Pearson's correlations revealed a slight relationship between average daily number of fruits and average daily number of vegetables consumed (r = 0.374, P < 0.01). There was no significant relationship between either fruit or vegetable consumption and any of the mental health variables. There was, however, a moderate to strong relationship between depression and anxiety (r = 0.480, P < 0.01) or stress (r = 0.686, P < 0.01) and anxiety and stress (r = 0.627, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: College students’ mental health at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was not related to their daily fruit and vegetable intake. FUNDING SOURCES: N/A