Lifestyle and mental health

Study objective. To examine the relationship between healthy lifestyles and self-rated mental health. Design. A cross-section telephone survey involving multiple callbacks. Using a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, information about lifestyle, demographic characteristics, and self-rated mental health was collected. Setting. Amarillo, Texas, a city of approximately 170,000 in the Panhandle of Texas. Participants. Six hundred and twenty-one adults. Main Results. Good mental health was independently associated with physical activity, being male, and being married. Poor mental health was associated with obesity, daily smoking, being Hispanic, and being non-Hispanic White. Conclusions. Programs targeting risk factors for poor physical health also may improve mental health in the community. (C) 2004 The Institute For Cancer Prevention and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.