Association between nutritional intake and aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-IV study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the association of nutritional intake and aggression among a nationally representative sample of Iranian children and adolescents. METHODS: This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted on a multi-stage sample of 14880 students, aged 6–18 years, living in 30 provinces in Iran. Parents were asked to report the dietary intake of their children as frequency of food groups and/or items. The validated questionnaire of the World Health Organization-Global School-based Health Survey (WHO-GSHS) was used to measure components related to aggression including physical fight, verbal aggression, and being bullied by other students. RESULTS: Participants consisted of 13486 students (90.6% participation rate) with mean age of 12.47 years (95% CI: 12.40, 12.54); 49.2% were girls, and 75.6% lived in urban areas. Physical fighting was more prevalent among urban boys[(48.63%), CI (46.75, 50.5)] while bulling was the most common aggressive behavior among boys [(29.7%), CI (28.03, 31.42)] and girls [(25.26%), CI (23.66, 26.93)] living in urban areas. Daily consumption of fast foods, sweets, soda, salty snacks and fried foods was higher among those participants who reported frequent experience of physical aggression and bullying. Bullying to others increased significantly with consumption of fast food (Odds ratio: 1.43, CI: 1.07, 1.92) and red meat (Odds ratio: 1.14, CI: 1.02, 1.28). Salty snack consumption showed a significant association with physical fighting (Odds ratio: 1.29, CI: 1.15, 1.44). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that some unhealthy foods might affect the mental health of children and adolescents. Improving dietary habits should be considered for prevention of violence in the vulnerable pediatric age group.