Cited by 130Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionHealth and Lifestyle StudiesHealth, psychology, and well-being

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 54 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Major health-related behaviours and mental well-being in the general population: the Health Survey for England

Open access

Abstract

Background: Major behavioural risk factors are known to adversely affect health outcomes and be strongly associated with mental illness. However, little is known about the association of these risk factors with mental well-being in the general population. We sought to examine behavioural correlates of high and low mental well-being in the Health Survey for England. Methods: Participants were 13 983 adults, aged 16 years and older (56% females), with valid responses for the combined 2010 and 2011 surveys. Mental well-being was assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). ORs of low and high mental well-being, compared to the middle-range category, were estimated for body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking habits, and fruit and vegetable intake. Results: ORs for low mental well-being were increased in obese individuals (up to 1.72, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.36 in BMI 40+ kg/m 2). They increased in a linear fashion with increasing smoking (up to 1.98, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.53, >20 cigarettes/day) and with decreasing fruit and vegetable intake (up to 1.53, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.90, <1 portion/day); whereas ORs were reduced for sensible alcohol intake (0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91, ≤4 units/day in men, ≤3 units/day in women). ORs for high mental well-being were not correlated with categories of BMI or alcohol intake. ORs were reduced among ex-smokers (0.81, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.92), as well as with lower fruit and vegetable intake (up to 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92, 1 to <3 portions/day). Conclusions: Along with smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption was the health-related behaviour most consistently associated with mental well-being in both sexes. Alcohol intake and obesity were associated with low, but not high mental well-being.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In a nationally representative sample of 13,983 English adults from the 2010/2011 Health Survey for England, smoking and fruit and vegetable intake were the behaviours most consistently associated with both low and high mental well-being. Obesity and alcohol intake were associated with low, but not high, mental well-being.

Key findings

  • Low mental well-being was more likely in obese individuals: fully adjusted OR 1.24 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.43) for BMI 30–<40 kg/m² and 1.72 (95% CI 1.26 to 2.36) for BMI 40+ kg/m².
  • Low mental well-being increased linearly with smoking, up to OR 1.98 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.53) for >20 cigarettes/day, and with decreasing fruit and vegetable intake, up to OR 1.53 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.90) for <1 portion/day; sensible alcohol intake was associated with reduced odds (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.91).
  • High mental well-being was not associated with BMI or alcohol categories, but odds were reduced among ex-smokers (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.92) and with lower fruit and vegetable intake (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92 for 1 to <3 portions/day; OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.96 for 3 to <5 portions/day).

Methods

  • Cross-sectional analysis of the combined 2010 and 2011 Health Survey for England, including 13,983 adults aged 16 years and older (56% females) with valid Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) responses.
  • WEMWBS scores defined low (14–42), middle-range (43–59), and high (60–70) mental well-being groups; logistic regression estimated ORs of low and high mental well-being compared with the middle-range category.
  • Models were unadjusted, partially adjusted for age and sex, and fully adjusted for sociodemographic variables plus BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking, and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Limitations

  • The paper states that physical activity was not included because data were not collected in the 2010 and 2011 surveys, and that fruit and vegetable intake may act as a marker for other healthy lifestyles including physical activity.
  • The paper states that the cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or temporality of the observed relationships.
  • The paper states that the 66.0% participation rate, the percentage of WEMWBS complete responders, and the sample being from a developed western country may reduce generalisability to other populations and socioeconomic settings.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005878

Cites

42 of 42 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

33 Not checked yet · 29 Own result · 12 Own method · 7 Own interpretation · 5 No basis given

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  • The quote only partly states this claim. 2
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 22
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 34
54 of 54
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Epidemiological evidence on the behavioural correlates of mental well-being is sparse.

    “Epidemiological evidence on the behavioural correlates of mental well-being is sparse.”
1 of 1

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Citations

Cites

Show all 44 references

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Crawford V . Co-existing problems of mental disorder and substance misuse (‘Dual Diagnosis’): a review of relevant literature. Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Research and Training Unit. Final Report to the Department of Health, 2001.
  2. Bianca D . Performance of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) as a screening tool for depression in UK and Italy. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/research/platform/wemwbs/development/papers/donatella_bianco-thesis.pdf

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Metadata

Authors
Stranges, S., Samaraweera, P. C., Taggart, F., Kandala, N.-B., & Stewart-Brown, S.
Affiliations
University of Warwick (GB)
Corresponding author
Stranges, Saverio
Venue
BMJ Open
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2014-09
Volume
4
Issue
9
Pages
e005878
ISSN
2044-6055 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2099071768
Cited by
130
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 3
FWCI
10.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • BMJ Open (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Warwick Research Archive Portal (University of Warwick) (acceptedVersion)
  • Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders
University College London
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Health and Lifestyle Studies
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, psychology, and well-being
Keywords
psychological well-being, behavioral risk factors, obesity, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, former smokers, general population, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, Health Survey for England
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, England, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Health Behavior, Young Adult

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