The relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and depressive symptoms among adults attending the Aydın Adnan Menderes University Educational Family Health Center

Introduction and Objective: There is a bidirectional relationship between food consumption and mental health. While mood disorders can influence nutritional habits, dietary patterns also affect an individual's emotional state in the long term. This study aimed to examine the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and depressive symptoms among adults attending the Aydın Adnan Menderes University Educational Family Health Center (EASM). The goal is to guide the registered population with information, education, and lifestyle interventions focusing on modifiable dietary factors to promote and protect health. Methods: This is a prospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. Data collection began after obtaining approval from the ADÜ Faculty of Medicine Dean's Office and the Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee, and continued until 343 participants were reached. Adults aged 18–65 who visited EASM and voluntarily agreed to participate were included through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic data form, the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), and the Primary Care Beck Depression Screening Scale (BB-BDS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics are presented as numbers and percentages. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparing two groups that did not meet the assumptions of normality, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparisons involving more than two groups. Results: The study included 343 participants, of whom 59.5% were female and 40.5% male, with a mean age of 36.4 ± 14 years. It was found that 75.5% of participants were not at risk of depression, while 24.5% were at risk. Regarding adherence to the Mediterranean diet, 24.4% (n = 70) showed low adherence, 36.7% (n = 126) moderate adherence, and 42.9% (n = 147) high adherence. A statistically significant inverse relationship was found between depression risk scores (BB-BDS) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MEDAS scores). Conclusion: No significant associations were found between depression risk and gender, BMI, marital status, region of residence, income level, smoking or alcohol use, or occupation. However, significant associations were observed between depression risk and perceived income level, having a close contact with a depression diagnosis, and having someone to confide in during negative experiences. A significant difference was also found between levels of Mediterranean diet adherence and depression risk. Given that diet is a key modifiable lifestyle factor, its impact on depression—a common condition with serious consequences—deserves further research. Depression screening and appropriate nutritional counseling should be integrated into primary care services. Keywords: Depression, Mediterranean diet, Primary care