Background: Currently, psychological disorders are prevalent everywhere. The most important psychological disorders are depression and low self-esteem. Dietary diversity score is important criterion for nutritional adequacy and a good predictor for chronic diseases of which its relationship with psychological diseases has received less attention. This study examines the relationship between dietary diversity scores with depression and self-esteem among Iranian soldiers in a barracks in Tehran.
Methods: According to the study inclusion criteria and using cluster sampling method 246 Iranian soldiers were selected for this study. Demographic, socio-economic status and physical activityby data were collected using a questionnaire. For all participants a 24-hour food recall and dietary diversity was measured. Depression and self-esteem were measured by DASS and Rosenberg standard questionnaires. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: 15.9% of subjects had major depression and 37% had low self-esteem. Odds ratio quartiles of dietary diversity for risk of depression, after adjusting for confounding pointers, were or = 1.00, 0.78, 0.75, 0.69; p<0.01, which estimated to be statistically significant. But the odds ratio quartiles of dietary diversity were not significant by self-esteem.
Conclusion: Dietary diversity score reduces the odds ratio of depression but not affect self-esteem.