The role of dietary habits in the psychosocial health of Australian children

While the literature is limited, there is some evidence implicating the role of diet in mental health. Poor nutrition tends to be associated with some deficiencies in mental health, but the nature of the relationship between the two is not clear. Across many western nations, the last two decades have seen a radical change in diet, and alongside this change, problems concerning the mental health of children and adolescents have increased, as have the global numbers of children who are overweight or obese. Cook et al (2001) reported that in the 10 year period from 1985 to 1995 the consumption of total energy, carbohydrates, sugars, confectionary and soft drinks increased significantly in Australian children aged 10 to 15 years. The rise in consumption of confectionary and soft drinks in particular, also indicates a rise in the consumption of synthetic food additives in this age group. Over the same time period, the prevalence of overweight children doubled, and obesity in children tripled. This paper examines the changes in psychosocial health in relation to diet for both cohorts in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC - Growing up in Australia). The relationship between diet and mental health in children and adolescents is receiving increased attention worldwide, and the data gathered through LSAC affords a unique opportunity to examine such relationships over the childhood period. The paper presents data firstly examining the relationship between changes in psychosocial measures (SDQ and PEDS) and how these correlate with changes in diet over the same period for the k-cohort. Data examining psychosocial outcomes and diet for the b-cohort are then presented. The paper then examines the possible role of diet for those children in the k-cohort who exhibit high levels of risk or vulnerability in relation to their psychosocial wellbeing, and discusses the implications of similar patterns being found in later data collection stages for the b-cohort.Further understanding of the link between diet and mental health is important especially given that diet is modifiable. If poor dietary habits are contributing to the increasing mental health burden in Australia, changing these habits has important implications for public health. Secondly, if dietary habits are implicated as a risk factor for the development of adverse psychosocial outcomes for children, there are many implications for both formal and informal health, lifestyle and education practices. Establishing a link between diet and adverse mental health also has the potential to impact on guidelines and legislation regarding food processing and manufacturing practices.