Scholarlink

Background <p>Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among adolescents worldwide continues to rise, physical fitness metrics such as grip strength are declining, the prevalence of psychological symptoms has risen, and this has become a major public health issue. However, the independent and combined associations of SSB and grip strength with psychological symptoms remain unexplored in large adolescent samples. This study aims to examine these associations in Chinese adolescents.</p> Methods <p>This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2025. A total of 52,035 adolescents aged 12–17 were recruited from 27 provincial-level administrative regions in China. SSB consumption was self-reported. Grip strength was categorized into low, medium, and high by sex and age tertiles. The Multidimensional Subhealth Questionnaire for Adolescents (MSQA) was used to assess psychological symptoms. The associations among these three variables were assessed using t-tests, chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and ordered logistic regression. </p> Results <p>The prevalence of psychological symptoms among Chinese adolescents was 20.8%. The prevalence for emotional problems, conduct problems, and social adjustment difficulties were 27.4%, 26.6%, and 17.6%. Mean grip strength was 30.0 ± 9.9 kg, with boys 35.0 kg and girls 25.0 kg; 83.4% consumed SSB &lt; 1 time/week. After adjusting for covariates, compared with adolescents with high grip strength and who consumed SSB &lt; 1 time/week, adolescents with low grip strength and who consumed SSB &gt; 4 times/week have a 2.20-fold higher risk of psychological symptoms (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.57–3.08, P &lt; 0.001).</p> Conclusion <p>Higher SSB consumption was associated with greater psychological symptoms in adolescents. While grip strength showed no independent link, its combination with high SSB consumption significantly increased the risk, especially in males. These findings support integrated school-based interventions targeting both diet and muscle strength to promote adolescent mental health.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Association between sugar-sweetened beverages consumption, grip strength, and psychological symptoms: a cross-sectional study of Chinese adolescents

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月10日

查看全文
  • Jian Dong,
  • Cunjian Bi,
  • Mengmeng Zhang,
  • Tianyu Zhou,
  • Min Zhang

摘要

Background

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among adolescents worldwide continues to rise, physical fitness metrics such as grip strength are declining, the prevalence of psychological symptoms has risen, and this has become a major public health issue. However, the independent and combined associations of SSB and grip strength with psychological symptoms remain unexplored in large adolescent samples. This study aims to examine these associations in Chinese adolescents.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2025. A total of 52,035 adolescents aged 12–17 were recruited from 27 provincial-level administrative regions in China. SSB consumption was self-reported. Grip strength was categorized into low, medium, and high by sex and age tertiles. The Multidimensional Subhealth Questionnaire for Adolescents (MSQA) was used to assess psychological symptoms. The associations among these three variables were assessed using t-tests, chi-square tests, binary logistic regression, and ordered logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of psychological symptoms among Chinese adolescents was 20.8%. The prevalence for emotional problems, conduct problems, and social adjustment difficulties were 27.4%, 26.6%, and 17.6%. Mean grip strength was 30.0 ± 9.9 kg, with boys 35.0 kg and girls 25.0 kg; 83.4% consumed SSB < 1 time/week. After adjusting for covariates, compared with adolescents with high grip strength and who consumed SSB < 1 time/week, adolescents with low grip strength and who consumed SSB > 4 times/week have a 2.20-fold higher risk of psychological symptoms (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.57–3.08, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Higher SSB consumption was associated with greater psychological symptoms in adolescents. While grip strength showed no independent link, its combination with high SSB consumption significantly increased the risk, especially in males. These findings support integrated school-based interventions targeting both diet and muscle strength to promote adolescent mental health.