Presentation Information
[P-19-04]Irregular Meal Timing and Depression: Moderating Roles of Dietary Diversity and Breakfast Skipping in a Nationally Representative Korean Sample
*Hyejin Tae1,2 (1.Stress Clinic, Health Promotion Center, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea(Korea), 2.Department of Medicine, Graduate School, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea(Korea))
Keywords:
Meal timing irregularity,Depression,Dietary diversity,Breakfast skipping,Lifestyle psychiatry
Background
Irregular meal timing has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for mental health disturbances, but the combined influence of dietary and behavioral factors remains insufficiently understood.
Methods
Using data from 21,568 Korean adults in the 2014-2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), we examined associations between meal irregularity and depressive symptoms measured by the PHQ-9. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and nutritional covariates. Moderation and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the influence of dietary diversity, breakfast skipping, and other lifestyle factors.
Results
Greater meal irregularity was significantly associated with increased odds of depression in both linear and spline models (p < 0.001), with no evidence of non-linearity. In stratified spline analyses by tertiles of Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), the positive association remained robust, with the steepest gradient observed in the lowest DDS group. Moderation analyses revealed that dietary diversity significantly attenuated the relationship between meal irregularity and depressive symptoms (B = -0.128, p = 0.027), whereas frequent breakfast skipping amplified it (B = 0.731, p = 0.0016). The three-way interaction among meal irregularity, DDS, and breakfast skipping was not statistically significant, indicating independent moderating roles rather than a combined effect. Subgroup analyses identified stronger associations in males, current smokers, individuals with frequent late-night eating, and those with abdominal obesity, suggesting heightened vulnerability in these behavioral and metabolic profiles.
Conclusions
This study provides novel evidence that irregular eating patterns are associated with elevated depressive symptoms and that dietary diversity and breakfast habits may modulate this relationship. These findings underscore the need for targeted dietary interventions and public health strategies promoting regular and diverse eating patterns to support mental well-being.
Irregular meal timing has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for mental health disturbances, but the combined influence of dietary and behavioral factors remains insufficiently understood.
Methods
Using data from 21,568 Korean adults in the 2014-2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), we examined associations between meal irregularity and depressive symptoms measured by the PHQ-9. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted, adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and nutritional covariates. Moderation and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the influence of dietary diversity, breakfast skipping, and other lifestyle factors.
Results
Greater meal irregularity was significantly associated with increased odds of depression in both linear and spline models (p < 0.001), with no evidence of non-linearity. In stratified spline analyses by tertiles of Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), the positive association remained robust, with the steepest gradient observed in the lowest DDS group. Moderation analyses revealed that dietary diversity significantly attenuated the relationship between meal irregularity and depressive symptoms (B = -0.128, p = 0.027), whereas frequent breakfast skipping amplified it (B = 0.731, p = 0.0016). The three-way interaction among meal irregularity, DDS, and breakfast skipping was not statistically significant, indicating independent moderating roles rather than a combined effect. Subgroup analyses identified stronger associations in males, current smokers, individuals with frequent late-night eating, and those with abdominal obesity, suggesting heightened vulnerability in these behavioral and metabolic profiles.
Conclusions
This study provides novel evidence that irregular eating patterns are associated with elevated depressive symptoms and that dietary diversity and breakfast habits may modulate this relationship. These findings underscore the need for targeted dietary interventions and public health strategies promoting regular and diverse eating patterns to support mental well-being.