THE EFFECT OF CHRONONUTRITION ON MENTAL WELL-BEING AMONG IIUM STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Chrononutrition, also referred to as the circadian timing of meals, has been found to have an impact on health outcomes, particularly on metabolic health. However, limited evidence exists regarding the influence of chrononutrition on mental well-being. Given the increasing concern about the mental well-being of university students due to various factors affecting their overall health, this study aimed to explore the association between chrononutrition behavior and mental well-being among students. Method: An online questionnaire was administered to 336 IIUM students from the Gombak, Kuantan, and Pagoh campuses. The participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS21) questionnaire and the Chrononutrition Profile Questionnaire (CP-Q). The CP-Q assessed six components of chrononutrition that are likely to influence health, namely breakfast skipping, largest meal, evening eating, evening latency, night eating, and eating window. This is a cross sectional study and the source of the population was selected through convenient sampling. A chi-square test of independence was conducted to study the association between chrononutrition behavior and mental well-being among IIUM students. Results: The findings revealed a significant correlation between specific chrononutrition behaviors, particularly evening latency, and evening eating on all states of mental well-being, namely stress, anxiety, and depression. The results suggest that engaging in poor evening latency and evening eating behaviors are associated with increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. There is a significant association between the eating window and skipping breakfast with stress although there are no significant associations found with anxiety or depression. No significant associations were found between night eating and stress or anxiety, whilst a significant association was identified between night eating and depression. The largest meal shows a significant association with stress and depression with no significant association found with anxiety. Conclusion: These findings emphasize that chrononutrition behaviors impact not only physical health but also mental health and overall well-being. It also highlights the significance of considering chrononutrition in interventions aimed at promoting better mental health outcomes.