Eating behavior and psychoemotional state of adolescents living in regions with different daylight hours

This study examined the relationship between the light climate, eating behavior, and the psychoemotional state of adolescents living in regions with different daylight hours (Voronezh, Murmansk, and St. Petersburg). The sample included 180 adolescents aged 14–18 years. The work uses a comprehensive methodological approach that includes standardized psychodiagnostic tools (the Yale YFAS Food Addiction Scale, the Tsung Depression Scale, the PedsQL™ questionnaire) and an author’s questionnaire to assess the daily routine. The results revealed statistically significant regional differences in the level of physical activity (p=0.043) and general tone (p=0.044), which indicates the influence of the light climate on the adaptive mechanisms of the adolescent body. A high prevalence of eating disorders has been established, including unreasonable dieting (28.2 %) and manifestations of food addiction (10.5 %) with pronounced gender specificity (p=0.012). Psychoemotional indicators demonstrated relative stability between regions, however, there was a tendency to increase depressive symptoms in adolescents living in St. Petersburg. The quality of life of the respondents corresponded to the reference values (M±SD=67.6±61.1), but significant gender differences in emotional functioning were revealed (p=0.002). The study highlights the importance of taking into account the regional characteristics of daylight hours when developing recommendations for optimizing the lifestyle of adolescents, as well as the need to further study the effects of chronological nutrition and circadian rhythms on their health. The data obtained can be useful to specialists in the field of child and adolescent hygiene, clinical psychology, and nutrition to develop preventive programs aimed at improving eating behavior and the psychoemotional state of adolescents.