Men and women are both affected by depression in Australia although men are affected mostly. There is a number of variable factors that can result to depression which include; Consuming an unhealthy diet which has high sugar level, high salt level, high fat and lack of fiber. Anxiety which in most cases is brought about by age.
Data Frame
- 3 Million Australians are living with depression. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008)
- 1 in every 6 women and 1 in every 8 men will experience some level of depression Australian Bureau of Statistics(2008)
- Only 35% of Australians with Anxiety and depression access treatment. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008).
- Men who suffer from depression are not as likely as women to seek medication since it is estimated that only one out of every four men seeks medical attention in Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008).
- Depression leads as a cause of disability globally with an estimation of 45% of Australians to experience such in the course of their living (Weinberger " Gbedemah, 2018). Therefore, depression should be dealt with accordingly to avoid any disabilities in future.
High intake of healthy food, vegetables, fish, whole grains among others will lower depression symptoms.
Globally, there are various factors that can lead to a decrease in depression symptoms among individuals. Among them include smiling a lot which is enhanced through socializing; that is, those suffering from depression are encouraged to mingle with others then smile a lot in order to curb depression (Jacka 2017). There are also other methods that can be used to decrease the symptoms of depression. This includes eating healthy food (Rajinder, 2015). To justify this, there was need to carry out a study. Therefore a survey was conducted in Australia among sixty seven people including men and women. These individuals were divided into two groups then one group introduced into a healthy diet while others ate unhealthy diet. Twelve weeks later, it was observed that those subjected to healthy diet had decreased symptoms of depression.
Method
The research design used was randomized trial whereby, half of the research population was subjected to a balanced diet whereas the other half continued to consume unhealthy diet. All these individuals were patients with depression. At the end of twelve weeks, it was observed that depression level among those who consumed a balanced diet decreased significantly (Matta, Plesz, Wierni, " Carette, 2018). In order to establish whether or not diet has an effect on depression, a survey was carried out in Australia among depression patients.
Data collecting method used was surveying, individuals being surveyed used to fill the questionnaires. A sample of sixty seven men and women were taken for study where half of them were introduced to the modified Mediterranean diet while the other half had to continue consuming the unhealthy diet. These two groups of individuals were being observed for a period of three months and then rated depending on their mood, since it is believed that good food leads to good mood and decreased depression while unhealthy food results to spoiled mood and eventually, increased depression.
The patients’ mood was rated between zero and sixty whereby the most severely depressed scored sixty. It was established that the most modified diet was cheaper than unhealthy diet.
Results
It was established that consuming a healthy diet leads to decreased depression since good food in most cases resulted to good mood. Also, good food means that, it lacked unnecessary sugars and fats thus, good for human consumption. Also, the food eaten did not require to lack calories since with or without restriction of calories intake, the food consumed led to decreased depression (Pina-Camacho, 2015). This is evidenced by the rating used out of sixty whereby zero percent indicated a zero possibility of depression while sixty percent indicated highest percentage of depression. . Also, depending on the number of weeks one was on diet, the level of depression would be established; that is, the more days one is on diet the less level of depression he or she would be.
Since highest number of women in Australia are on healthy diet, women are less likely to suffer from depression compared to men (Grases, Colom, Fernandez, " Costa-Bauzá, 2014.). This renders men more vulnerable to depression as opposed to their counterparts women.
Discussion
Since healthy diet has been established to be useful on matters controlling depression, it is therefore important for depressed people to consume a healthy diet so that they can control their mood, salt level and sugar level. Also, since men are more vulnerable to depression due to their poor diet habit, they should strive to adopt a balanced diet in order to be on the safe side on matters depression. Age is also a factor when it comes to depression. Children are less likely to be depressed as opposed to adults. Therefore, adults should strive to live a stress-free life to avoid this health condition.
References
Grases, Colom, Fernandez, " Costa-Bauzá. (2014.). Evidence of higher oxidative status in depression and anxiety. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity.
Matta, J. N.-G., Plesz, M., Wierni, E., " Carette, C. (2018). Diet and physical activity in the association between depression and metabolic syndrome: Constances study. Journal of affective disorders.
Pina-Camacho. (2015). Maternal depression symptoms, unhealthy diet and child emotional–behavioural dysregulation. Psychological medicine, 1851-1860.
Rajinder, S. (2015). Current Trends (Drugs and Therapy) in Controlling Depression: A Scientific Approach and Review. Journal of sleep disorders and therapy, 184.
Weinberger, " Gbedemah. (2018). Trends in depression prevalence in the USA from 2005 to 2015:widening disparities in vulnerable groups. Psychological medicine , 1308-1315.
