Lifestyle and mental health
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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents
Published on: December 2, 2015
James E Rohrer1, J Rush Pierce, Claudia Blackburn
1Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA. windupwindows@aol.com
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.
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