Life's Essential 8 and Depression: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis in US Emerging Adults

To examine the association between adherence to Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and depression in a nationally representative sample of US emerging adults, including both overall and subgroup analyses by gender, age, and other sociodemographic factors.

Data from 2,219 emerging adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2018) were analyzed. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, with scores ≥10 indicating depression. LE8 scores were calculated based on cardiovascular health factors, and covariates included demographic and behavioral variables. Weighted logistic regression was used to assess associations between LE8 and depression.

Participants with higher LE8 scores had lower odds of depression. In the fully adjusted model, which adjusted for sociodemographic variables, the odds of depression were significantly lower in the highest quartile of LE8 adherence (odds ratio (OR) = 0.252, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.233-0.289, p < .001) compared to the lowest quartile. Continuous LE8 scores were also inversely associated with depression (OR = 0.961, 95% CI: 0.949-0.974, p < .001). Gender-stratified analyses showed that the protective effect of higher LE8 scores was more pronounced in males (OR = 0.956, 95% CI: 0.934-0.979, p < .001) than in females (OR = 0.960, 95% CI: 0.945-0.975, p < .001).

Better cardiovascular health, as indicated by higher LE8 scores, was strongly linked to lower depression in emerging adults. Targeted interventions promoting key behaviors like sleep and physical activity could effectively reduce depression in this population.