Antidepressant food consumption and its association with depression risk in adolescents: Findings from an urban area of Indonesia

Background: The World Health Organization forecasts that depression will become the world's second most common illness by 2030 and affect people of all ages. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, approximately 1 in 100 people experience depression, with the highest prevalence found in the age group of 15-24 years, at 2. Adjusting one's diet, as suggested by the Antidepressant Food Score (AFS) list, presents a promising method for managing and addressing depression. Aim: To find out the association between the AFS and depression levels. Methods: This cross-sectional study in Surabaya, Indonesia, included 374 participants aged 15-17 years. Antidepressant food intake was assessed using the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire, while depression levels were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Additionally, social and psychological factors were considered. The data were analyzed using STATA. Results: A significant difference in daily fruit and vegetable consumption was found between adolescents with mild and moderate depression. Those with mild depression had an average AFS of 86.03, while those with moderate depression had 66.28. Although the AFS was associated with depression (pâ=â0.031), it did not have a statistically significant impact on depression levels after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, social support, stress and problem-solving ability (odds ratioâ=â1.54, 95 confidence intervalâ=â0.94, 2.50). Conclusion: This study identified a statistically significant association between AFS and depression levels. However, after adjusting for other predictors, this association did not remain statistically significant. Future research should focus on developing a more comprehensive database of antidepressant food lists in Indonesia. © The Author(s) 2025