1184Combined association of living alone and dietary variety with mental health in older Japanese adults

Background We examined whether dietary variety (DV) might alleviate poor mental health (MH) of living-alone (LA) older adults. Methods Cross-sensational data from 15073 (7566 men; 7507 women) residents aged 65-84 years were assessed using the WHO-Five Well-being Index to determine poor MH (defined by a score ≤ 12) and DV (low and high DV defined by a score ≤ 3 and ≥ 4, respectively). Participants were divided into living together with high DV (G1), living together with low DV (G2), LA with high DV (G3), and LA with low DV (G4). Logistic regression analyses stratified by gender were performed to examine the association of poor MH with LA and DV. Results Prevalence of LA, low DV, and poor MH were 13.6%, 63.3%, and 26.1%, respectively, in men, and 21.2%, 54.6%, and 24.8%, respectively, in women. Compared with the G1, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals) for worse MH were 1.69 (1.49-1.93) for G2, 2.04 (1.50-2.78) for G3, and 3.34 (2.70-4.11) for G4 in men. Corresponding ORs were 1.73 (1.52-1.96), 1.02 (0.83-1.26), and 1.66 (1.36-2.01) in women. Conclusions The association of poor MH with LA was more apparent in older adults with low DV than in those with high DV; however, this association differed with gender. Key message Eating a variety of food may help alleviate the negative effects of living alone on mental health in older adults.