Associations of dietary patterns and screen time with depressive symptoms among adolescents in Shandong Province, China

Our findings demonstrate that co-exposure to high-protein dietary patterns and screen time ≥ 2 h/d is significantly associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Notably, processed dietary patterns exhibit a more pronounced association, demonstrating heightened depressive symptom risks even when combined with either shorter (< 2 h/d) or longer (≥ 2 h/d) screen time durations.