None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this project is to determine whether two micronutrients - iron and selenium - each may be associated with differences in depression, mood, and self-reported physical and cognitive function among a sample of young adults in New Zealand. In this study, mood and self-reported physical and cognitive function will be tracked using computerised daily diaries for 13 days. This is a more sensitive measure of symptom tracking that has not yet been used in the previous research on these micronutrients. Depression will also be assessed using the CES-D. Studies have found that iron deficiency anaemia is associated with increased fatigue and higher depression. However, it is not clear whether iron deficiency without anaemia is associated with these factors. Studies have also found that reduced selenium levels are associated with increased depressive symptoms. New Zealand has low levels of selenium in the soil, particularly in Otago where the study participants are based. Studies examining the association between selenium and depression or mood in a New Zealand sample are limited.
Interventions
At the beginning of the study, participants attend a laboratory session and complete a questionnaire assessing demographics and depression status via the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Each day for the next 13 days, participants complete over the Internet a daily diary survey that contains an 18-item measure of positive and negative mood (based on the circumplex model of emotion, Barrett & Russell, 1999) and several unstandardized measures of self-reported physical
At the beginning of the study, participants attend a laboratory session and complete a questionnaire assessing demographics and depression status via the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Each day for the next 13 days, participants complete over the Internet a daily diary survey that contains an 18-item measure of positive and negative mood (based on the circumplex model of emotion, Barrett & Russell, 1999) and several unstandardized measures of self-reported physical and cognitive function (e.g., perceived daily tiredness, feeling physically run down, difficulty concentrating). At the end of the 13-days, a blood sample is taken to analyse iron and selenium levels, which will be analysed in relation to CES-D scores, daily positive and negative affect, and daily physical and cognitive function.
Sponsors
Dr Tamlin Conner
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Males or female young adults aged 18-25 years Cellphone/internet access Willingness to provide a blood sample Enrolled as a student at the University of Otago part-time or full-time
Exclusion criteria
Nil
Outcome results
None listed