Risky Health Behaviors Tied to Poorer Mental Well-Being, General Health in Midlife
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 28, 2025 -- Risky health behaviors, both current and cumulatively over time, are associated with poorer mental well-being and self-reported health, according to a study published online April 24 in the Annals of Medicine.
Tiia Kekäläinen, Ph.D., from University of Jyväskylä in Finland, and colleagues examined cumulative associations of risky health behaviors with mental well-being and health from age 36 onward. The analysis included participants (from the 1959 birth cohort) in the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development.
The researchers found that more current risky behaviors were associated with more depressive symptoms (B = 0.10), lower psychological well-being (B = −0.10), lower self-rated health (B = −0.45), and more metabolic risk factors (B = 0.53). There were even stronger associations for temporal risk scores (depressive symptoms: B = 0.38; psychological well-being: B = −0.15; self-rated health: B = −0.82; metabolic risk factors: B = 1.49). Among temporal risk scores, alcohol consumption was negatively associated with most outcomes, smoking was associated with poorer mental well-being, and physical inactivity was associated with poorer health.
"The current and temporal accumulation of multiple risky health behaviors were associated with poorer mental well-being and health," the authors write. "Preventing these behaviors early in adulthood and midlife is crucial to avoid their accumulation and subsequent health risks."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Variables Associated With Heart Failure Compared for Men and Women
THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- Asthma, depression, anxiety, and hypothyroidism are associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with...
Cancer Survivors More Likely to Take Rx for Mental Health Conditions
THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- U.S. cancer survivors are significantly more likely to take medications for depression and anxiety compared with noncancer survivors, according to a...
Mortality Up for Children With Leukemia From Lowest SES Neighborhoods
THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from the lowest socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods have an increased risk for mortality...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.