Nutritional Intake, Body Mass Index and Depression Among Chinese College Students in anUrban Area of South Korea

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate nutritional intake, body mass index (BMI) and depression, and to elucidate depression in relation to nutritional intake and BMI among Chinese college students studying in South Korea. @*Methods@#A descriptive study design was adopted. Data were collected from 170 Chinese college students in South Korea June-August, 2019. In this study, 24-hour dietary records were obtained and BMI was measured. Nutrient intakes were calculated from the dietary records using the CAN-PRO software. Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). @*Results@#Of 170 participants, 19 (11.2%) were underweight and 42 (24.7%) were overweight. Female, single, and non-smoking participants were underweight. There were 97 (57.1%) participants experiencing depression, and 99 (58.2%) consuming lower protein than the recommended nutrient intake resulting in insufficient nutrients. The intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, and selenium was much lower than the standard. Depressive participants were significantly greater among the underweight participants and those consuming insufficient nutrients in terms of protein, pantothenic acid, and selenium. @*Conclusion@#An intervention program is required to improve nutritional status, which should be a part of the strategies to manage depression for Chinese college students in South Korea.