Comportamentos do estilo de vida e depressão em estudantes universitários

Abstract

Depression is a public health problem with the highest global burden of disease accounting for 7.5% of the years of life lost through disability. It is the disease that most incapacitate in the world, causes damages to the individual, the family and the society. Among the losses are the reduction of academic and professional productivity. College admission and the transition to adulthood make college students especially vulnerable. Lifestyle behaviors play an important role in the etiology, progression, and treatment of depression. Objective: To analyze the association between the lifestyle behaviors and depressive symptoms in college students. Methods: Cross - sectional census study, conducted in 2015 and 2016, which evaluated 1038 college students in full - time courses, aged between 16 and 25 years, entering a public university in Cuiabá-MT. The dependent variable was the presence of depressive symptoms, evaluated by the instrument Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The independent variables were the lifestyle behaviors related to the practice of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep and eating habits. Statistical analyses were stratified by sex. The Chi-square test was used to verify associations between the independent variables and outcome in the bivariate analysis. The variables that obtained value of p ≤ 0.20 were included in the final model. Poisson regression was used to estimate associations using models adjusted for age, economic class, body mass index and area of the undergraduate course. Additionally, alcohol consumption and smoking were mutually adjusted. In the final models the level of statistical significance was set at 5%. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 31.6%, higher among women compared to men (39.9% vs 23.6%, p <0.01), with a significant association with unhealthy behaviors related to lifestyle. For men, the associated behaviors were not practicing physical activity (PRaj = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.20, 2.19), screen time greater than 4 hours per day (PRaj = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.18, 2.20), smoking (light: PRaj = 1.73, 95% CI 1.08, 2.77, moderate to heavy: PRaj = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.47, 4.29), type of alcoholic beverage consumed (spirits, PRaj = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.08) and irregular pattern of

meal consumption (PRaj = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.26, 2.48). Among women, the associated variables were smoking (moderate to heavy: PRaj = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.56, 3.82), type of alcoholic beverage consumed (spirits, PRaj = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.81), sleep duration <6h / day (PRaj = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.11, 1.77) and irregular meal pattern (RPaj = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.73). Conclusions: Prevalence of depressive symptoms was high among college students, especially among female students. Significant associations were observed between unhealthy behaviors related to lifestyle and depressive symptoms, with differences between sexes.