{"title":"Relationship between Mental Health and Food Access among Healthcare College Students in a Snowy Area in Japan","authors":"Yuki Irie, Shota Ogawa, Hitomi Kosugi, Hiromitsu Shinozaki","volume":208,"journal":"International Journal of Medical and Health Sciences","pagesStart":81,"pagesEnd":86,"ISSN":"1307-6892","URL":"https:\/\/publications.waset.org\/pdf\/10013603","abstract":"<p>Dropout rates in higher educational institutions pose significant challenges for both students and institutions, with poor mental health (MH) emerging as a key risk factor. Healthcare college students, including medical students, are particularly vulnerable to MH issues due to the demanding academic schedules they face. Poor mental health (MH) would be considered as a key risk factor for dropout from higher educational institutions that pose significant challenges for both students and institutions. And, inadequate food access (FA) has been related to poor MH. Given that targeted students may experience multiple risk factors for poor MH and vulnerable FA, the study aims to clarify the relationship between MH and FA to enhance student well-being. A cross-sectional design was used to explore the association between MH status and FA among 421 students (147 male, 274 female). Participants completed two questionnaires assessing MH and FA during winter 2022. The mean MH score was 6.7 \u00b1 4.6, with higher scores indicating worse MH (max. score 27). While year-round FA showed no significant association with MH, FA during winter was significantly associated with MH (p = 0.01). Although car ownership did not directly impact MH, it was significantly associated with FA (p &lt; 0.01), thus indirectly influencing MH. Our findings underscore the importance of FA in promoting MH, particularly during winter. Adopting a lifestyle that facilitates easier FA may be beneficial for MH, given its indirect association with MH outcomes. These insights emphasize the significance of addressing FA-related challenges to enhance student\u2019s mental well-being.<\/p>","references":"[1]\tC. Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, \"Survey of aid support for students who were affected COVID-19 pandemic,\" 2021. Accessed: 22 Feb 2022. (Online). Available: https:\/\/www.mext.go.jp\/content\/20210525-mxt_kouhou01-000004520_2.pdf\r\n[2]\t\tS. Sato, \"Relationships between lifestyle habits and longitudinal characteristics in unwillingness to join the university community and anxiety about academic learning for the university freshmen,\" vol. 26, Mar, 2018, T. Suzuki, Ed., ed: KIT Progress, 2018, pp. 111-118.\r\n[3]\tJ. P. Pacheco et al., \"Mental health problems among medical students in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis,\" (in eng), Braz J Psychiatry, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 369-378, 2017 Oct-Dec 2017, doi: 10.1590\/1516-4446-2017-2223.\r\n[4]\tD. 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