Chrononutrition, diet quality and perceived stress: results from two population-based studies in Brazil

Chrononutrition and diet quality appear to influence stress, however, evidence on this relationship needs to be better elucidated. We aim to assess the association between chrononutrition, diet quality, and perceived stress in adults from Southern Brazil. Population-based cross-sectional study conducted in two Brazilian cities, with individuals aged ≥18 years. Chrononutrition and diet quality were the exposure, and perceived stress was the outcome. To assess the associations, Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted prevalence ratio. 2,170 individuals were analyzed: 12.3% did not have breakfast, 27.5% had less than four meals per day, 30.4% presented poor diet quality, 14% referred irregular consumption of healthy foods, and 43.2% had regular consumption of unhealthy foods. Perceived stress was reported by 38.2% of the sample. Individuals who ate less than four meals per day, with poor diet quality, with regular consumption of unhealthy foods, and with irregular consumption of healthy foods were more likely to present perceived stress. These results may contribute to the development of joint actions on nutrition and mental health.