Unhealthy Lifestyle Contributes to Negative Mental Health and Poor Quality of Life in Young University Students

A negative lifestyle is reported to be related to poor mental health and quality of life (QOL). However, there is little information on this in university students. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between mental health (i.e., anxiety, depression symptoms and stress), QOL, SWLS and lifestyle parameters (i.e., PA, sleep duration, ST and food habits) among Chilean university students and then to determine the differences in mental health, QOL, SWLS and lifestyle parameters according to gender. This cross-sectional study included a total of 211 university students (128 females and 83 males) aged 18-28 years. Mental health, QOL and lifestyle were measured through validated questionnaires. Bad food habits (lowest score in the food survey) were linked to anxiety (2.3 [0.22-4.36], = 0.03), depressive symptoms (3.75 [1.54-5.9], = 0.001) and stress (2.24 [0.31-4.17], = 0.023). Furthermore,