Association between bubble tea consumption and mental health among adults in mainland China: A national cross-sectional analysis of cohort study.

Abstract

Background: Bubble tea has emerged as an essential beverage in the daily lives of many individuals, which is particularly pronounced among nurses. However, few studies have investigated the potential effects of bubble tea consumption on mental health among nurses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between bubble tea consumption and mental health among nurses.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from the Nurses' Mental Health Study (NMHS), a national cohort study. Odds ratios (ORs) were employed to evaluate the relationship between bubble tea consumption and mental health.

Results: A total of 132,910 participants were enumerated nationwide in our survey. 8666 (6.52 %) were male and 124,244 (93.48 %) were female. The median age of participants was 34 years. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratios (ORs) for depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, psychiatric diagnosis, fatigue, burnout, loneliness, and well-being trend changed across categories of bubble tea consumption. Low frequency of bubble tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation, while high frequency of consumption was related to an increased suicidal risk. The relation between bubble tea and mental health varies with gender and age.

Conclusions: This large-sample cross-sectional study found that consumption of bubble tea was significantly associated with increased anxiety, depression, psychiatric diagnosis, fatigue, job burnout and loneliness, and decreased well-being among nurses. Moreover, research indicates that limited consumption of bubble tea may be correlated with a reduction in suicidal ideation, whereas excessive consumption may be linked to an increase in such ideation.