TITLE:
Eating habits associated with a history of suicide attempts in psychiatric outpatients
AUTHORS:
Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel, Jesús Hernández-Tinoco, Luis Francisco Sánchez-Anguiano, Carlos Alberto Arnaud-Gil, Luis Fernando Molina-Espinoza
KEYWORDS:
Epidemiology; Case-Control Study; Suicide Attempts; Psychiatric Patients; Eating Habits; Mexico
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.5,
February
21,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: The association of eating habits and suicide attempts has been insufficiently studied. Aim: This study aimed to determine the
eating habits associated with suicide attempts in a sample of
psychiatric outpatients. Methods: Through a case control study design, 283 psychiatric outpatients attending in two public hospitals in Durango City,
Mexico were studied. Of the 283 patients, 156 have had suicide attempts and 127
have not had suicide attempts. Eating habits were obtained from all outpatients
and compared in patients with history of suicide attempts and patients
without such history. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed differences
in eating habits between psychiatric outpatients with and without history of
suicide attempts. A history of suicide attempts was positively associated with
consumption of pork (OR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.17 - 4.71; P = 0.01), mutton (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.25 - 4.52; P = 0.008), chorizo (OR = 2.09, 95%
CI: 1.04 - 4.19; P = 0.03), unwashed
raw vegetables (OR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.26 - 8.32; P = 0.01), and untreated water (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.03 - 3.02; P = 0.03), and negatively associated
with consumption of goat meat (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.90; P = 0.02), and turkey meat (OR = 0.41,
95% CI: 0.23 - 0.73; P = 0.002).
Conclusions: This is the first report on the association of eating habits with
suicide attempts in psychiatric outpatients. Results suggest that suicide
attempts are associated not only with the type of meat consumed but also with poor food hygiene in psychiatric outpatients. Further studies to confirm or challenge such results are needed.