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The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and...
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The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Assessments".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2025) | Viewed by 5814

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mateusz Grajek

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, School of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 41-902 Bytom, Poland
Interests: public health; clinical psychology; health psychology; stress; nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wiktoria Staśkiewicz-Bartecka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Food Technology and Quality Evaluation, Department of Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
Interests: diet; sport nutrition; orthorexia nervosa; physical activity; nutritional education; dietetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of health and quality of life research, the key factors that affect a person’s overall well-being are diet quality, physical activity, and mental and physical health. These three aspects are closely interrelated and affect our health and quality of life. Modern research shows that a healthy diet and regular physical activity can significantly improve both physical and mental health. A quality diet is the foundation of good health. Research focuses on understanding which nutrients and dietary patterns are most beneficial to humans. Physical activity is an equally important factor. Regular exercise improves fitness, helps maintain a healthy body weight, reduces the risk of many diseases, and has a positive impact on mental health. Mental health is an indispensable part of overall health. Problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress have a significant impact on quality of life and physical health. Research on mental health in the context of diet and physical activity is particularly important to understand how these factors can contribute to improved mental health.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect the latest research on the impact of diet quality, physical activity, and mental health on overall health. This Special Issue aims to provide clinicians, researchers, and health practitioners with scientific evidence and recommendations on effective diet and physical activity interventions that can improve patients’ physical and mental health.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the impact of diet quality, physical activity, and mental and physical health.
  • Studies evaluating the effects of different diets on physical and mental health, including chronic disease, obesity, and cardiovascular health.
  • Studies examining the effects of various forms of physical activity on mental and physical health.
  • Research on dietary interventions and physical activity programs to improve mental health.
  • Case studies and cross-sectional studies that illustrate the relationship between diet, physical activity, and mental and physical health.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mateusz Grajek
Guest Editor

Dr. Wiktoria Staśkiewicz-Bartecka
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diet quality
  • physical activity
  • mental health
  • physical health
  • health status
  • nutritional interventions
  • exercise
  • chronic diseases
  • obesity
  • lifestyle interventions
  • preventive health
  • health promotion
  • public health

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 609 KB  
Article
Patterns of Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms Among Korean Adults: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Analysis of the 2023 Korea Community Health Survey
by Ah-Yoon Kim, Sang-A Nam, Su-Yeon Roh and Geun-Kook Kim
Healthcare 2025, 13(24), 3221; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13243221 - 9 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 960
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Depression has increased substantially in Korea following the COVID-19 pandemic, with prevalence reaching 7.3% in 2023, the highest level in a decade, raising urgent concerns about widening mental health disparities. Although physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced depressive symptoms, nationally representative [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Depression has increased substantially in Korea following the COVID-19 pandemic, with prevalence reaching 7.3% in 2023, the highest level in a decade, raising urgent concerns about widening mental health disparities. Although physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced depressive symptoms, nationally representative post-pandemic evidence from Korean adults remains limited. This study descriptively examined patterns of PA participation and depressive symptoms across key sociodemographic groups using 2023 Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) data. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 228,249 adults aged ≥19 years in the 2023 KCHS. Depressive symptoms were measured using nine PHQ-9 items (1–4 on Likert scale). PA was assessed as the number of days per week (0–7) of moderate (MPA) and vigorous (VPA) physical activity according to KCHS operational definitions. All analyses incorporated complex survey features (strata, clusters, weights). Group differences were examined using design-corrected t-tests and ANOVA. Results: Women, adults aged 60 years or older, bereaved individuals, and those with lower educational attainment reported higher depressive symptom levels (p < 0.001). PA participation was higher among men, younger adults, married individuals, and those with higher education. Depressive symptom scores decreased with increasing PA frequency, with the lowest levels observed among adults active 5–7 days per week. Although mean differences were modest (0.02–0.12 points on the four-point scale; η2 < 0.06), these steady population-level gradients provide meaningful baseline information for understanding post-pandemic mental health patterns in Korea. Conclusions: Although individual-level differences were small (η2 < 0.06), the population-level gradients are important for monitoring mental health disparities in post-pandemic Korea. Women, older adults, bereaved individuals, and lower-education groups represent key high-burden populations. Future studies should employ longitudinal designs, objective PA measures, and confounder-adjusted models to clarify mechanisms and directionality, and evaluate the effectiveness of community-based PA interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status)
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12 pages, 231 KB  
Article
Body Positivity and Eating Behaviors Among Women Attending Fitness Classes: Associations with Body Mass Index
by Martyna Kłoda, Monika Marszołek, Wiktoria Staśkiewicz-Bartecka, Sylwia Jaruga-Sękowska and Małgorzata Magdalena Michalczyk
Healthcare 2025, 13(23), 3122; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13233122 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1058
Abstract
Background: Body positivity is a social movement aimed at promoting acceptance and appreciation of diverse body types. Despite its growing popularity, its relationship with eating behaviors and body mass index (BMI) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the opinions of women [...] Read more.
Background: Body positivity is a social movement aimed at promoting acceptance and appreciation of diverse body types. Despite its growing popularity, its relationship with eating behaviors and body mass index (BMI) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the opinions of women attending fitness classes on the body positivity movement and to assess the association between these attitudes, eating behaviors, and BMI. Methods: A total of 118 women aged 18–65 years participated in the study. Data were collected using a self-developed body positivity questionnaire and the validated Polish version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-13). Participants were stratified into two groups based on BMI (<25 and ≥25 kg/m2). Results: No significant association was found between general attitudes toward body positivity and either eating behaviors or BMI. However, a positive correlation was observed between BMI and emotional eating as well as cognitive restraint. Women with higher BMI demonstrated greater cognitive restraint and tendencies toward emotional eating. Body acceptance was significantly lower in women with BMIs ≥ 25. Conclusions: While general attitudes toward the body positivity movement do not appear to influence eating behaviors directly, body weight is linked to both emotional eating and cognitive restraint. These findings underscore the complex relationship between psychological factors, eating patterns, and body image, suggesting the need for further research and tailored interventions promoting both health and self-acceptance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status)
16 pages, 490 KB  
Article
Quality of Life, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status in Croatian Middle-Aged and Elderly Population
by Manuela Maltarić, Mirela Kolak, Darija Vranešić Bender, Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić and Branko Kolarić
Healthcare 2025, 13(22), 2931; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13222931 - 16 Nov 2025
Viewed by 954
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The proportion of middle-aged and elderly people in the total population is increasing, and it is of utmost importance to monitor their quality of life (QoL), which largely depends on mobility, health and mental state, diet, nutritional status (especially overweight and [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The proportion of middle-aged and elderly people in the total population is increasing, and it is of utmost importance to monitor their quality of life (QoL), which largely depends on mobility, health and mental state, diet, nutritional status (especially overweight and obesity). The population in Croatia is among the leading in terms of the proportion of overweight and obese people, therefore the aim is to study QoL and determine which aspects can potentially be mitigated by public health actions. Methods: In accordance with the available data from the SHARE study (Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe), data were taken from the most recently published—9th wave conducted in 2021/2022. In this study, the Croatian population older than 50 years is represented by 4687 respondents. Health-related parameters were monitored (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mental health, handgrip strength (HGS) as a biomarker in older people and body mass index) and quality of life (self-assessed quality of life (CASP, self-assessed health SPH, physical activity) and dietary habits. A logistic regression model was used to link HGS as a biomarker in older people with quality of life and health parameters. Results: There is an undeniable decline in social and physical activity with age; the proportion of people engaged in vigorous physical activity decreased from 47% in the 51–64 age group to only 5.4% in people over 85 years of age, while physical inactivity increased from 3% to 37.7%. Chronic diseases, especially hypertension, accumulate with age, while self-rated health worsens with age, as does mental health (the proportion of depressed people (according to the EURO-D scale) increased significantly from 21.1% in the 51–64 age group to 54.1% in those over 85 years of age). Results of multinomial logistic regression showed that sports (in)activity was consistently associated with a lower likelihood of reduced handgrip strength (OR = 1.94 for low strength, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Sports activities and social engagement are crucial for maintaining good handgrip strength. Higher BMI, lower education and adverse psychological states are risk factors for a weaker handgrip. These findings highlight the need for an integrated public health approach that promotes physical activity, balanced nutrition and mental and social well-being in the older population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status)
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13 pages, 658 KB  
Article
Emotional Eating Patterns, Nutritional Status, and the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Among University Students: A Preliminary Assessment
by Víctor Manuel Jiménez-Cano, Adela Gómez-Luque, Vicente Robles-Alonso, María Valle Ramírez-Durán, Belinda Basilio-Fernández, Pilar Alfageme-García, Sonia Hidalgo-Ruiz, Juan Fabregat-Fernández and Alba Torres-Pérez
Healthcare 2025, 13(17), 2186; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172186 - 1 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1794
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Emotional eating has been linked to neurobiological mechanisms similar to those observed in addictive behaviors, and this occurrence appears not fully understood, even in academic communities/environments. To supplement existing information, a preliminary assessment of university students’ emotional eating patterns, nutritional status, and [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Emotional eating has been linked to neurobiological mechanisms similar to those observed in addictive behaviors, and this occurrence appears not fully understood, even in academic communities/environments. To supplement existing information, a preliminary assessment of university students’ emotional eating patterns, nutritional status, and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes has been performed in this current work. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 129 students from the University of Extremadura, Spain. Emotional eating was assessed using the Emotional Eating Questionnaire (EEQ) and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire—Spanish version (TFEQ-R18(SP)) questionnaires, while type 2 diabetes risk was evaluated through the Finnish Diabetes Risk (FINDRISC) score test. Anthropometric data, including height, weight, BMI, and body composition, were collected using standardized measurement protocols. Statistical analyses included ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: Significant differences were observed in BMI (mean ± SD: 23.93 ± 5.36 kg/m2) and total EEQ score (mean ± SD: 9.82 ± 5.82) across FINDRISC risk categories (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The Very Emotional Eaters group presented higher BMIs and FINDRISC scores, along with greater score dispersion. No significant differences were identified in EEQ subscales. Conclusions: Emotional eating behaviors may serve as indirect indicators of metabolic vulnerability, particularly when combined with excess body weight. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating emotional regulation and mindful eating strategies into health promotion programs for young adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship Between Diet Quality, Physical Activity, and Mental and Physical Health Status)
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