Table 2.
Associations between happiness and health behaviors1
| Health behavior/happiness level | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| Current smoking: yes | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 0.62 (0.51, 0.76) | 0.62 (0.47, 0.82) |
| Neutral | 0.57 (0.48, 0.69) | 0.36 (0.28, 0.48) |
| A little happy | 0.41 (0.34, 0.49) | 0.21 (0.16, 0.27) |
| Very happy | 0.36 (0.30, 0.44) | 0.16 (0.11, 0.21) |
| Current drinking: yes | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 0.81 (0.67, 0.99) | 0.60 (0.49, 0.74) |
| Neutral | 0.70 (0.58, 0.84) | 0.41 (0.34, 0.50) |
| A little happy | 0.57 (0.47, 0.69) | 0.32 (0.26, 0.39) |
| Very happy | 0.52 (0.43, 0.63) | 0.24 (0.19, 0.30) |
| Eating breakfast: ≥3 times/wk | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 1.27 (1.05, 1.54) | 1.39 (1.15, 1.68) |
| Neutral | 1.29 (1.08, 1.54) | 1.59 (1.32, 1.92) |
| A little happy | 1.57 (1.31, 1.87) | 2.20 (1.83, 2.63) |
| Very happy | 1.52 (1.27, 1.81) | 2.26 (1.87, 2.73) |
| Eating fruit daily: yes | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 0.84 (0.68, 1.04) | 0.82 (0.65, 1.03) |
| Neutral | 0.73 (0.60, 0.86) | 0.85 (0.68, 1.07) |
| A little happy | 0.80 (0.66, 0.99) | 0.98 (0.78, 1.23) |
| Very happy | 1.10 (0.90, 1.34) | 1.39 (1.11, 1.75) |
| Vegetable consumption: ≥3 serving/d | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 0.86 (0.67, 1.09) | 0.85 (0.65, 1.10) |
| Neutral | 0.82 (0.65, 1.03) | 0.91 (0.71, 1.17) |
| A little happy | 0.94 (0.75, 1.18) | 1.05 (0.82, 1.35) |
| Very happy | 1.53 (1.22, 1.92) | 1.49 (1.16, 1.93) |
| Participation in 60 min of physical activity: ≥3 times/wk | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 0.87 (0.74, 1.03) | 0.80 (0.66, 0.98) |
| Neutral | 0.84 (0.72, 0.99) | 0.75 (0.62, 0.92) |
| A little happy | 1.05 (0.89, 1.24) | 0.83 (0.68, 1.02) |
| Very happy | 1.17 (1.00, 1.37) | 1.06 (0.87, 1.30) |
| Sedentary behavior: ≥2 hr/d | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 1.24 (1.01, 1.52) | 0.90 (0.73, 1.12) |
| Neutral | 1.09 (0.91, 1.31) | 0.79 (0.65, 0.97) |
| A little happy | 1.12 (0.93, 1.35) | 0.78 (0.63, 0.96) |
| Very happy | 0.97 (0.80, 1.16) | 0.72 (0.58, 0.89) |
| Hours of sleep (weekdays): ≥8 hr/night | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 1.45 (1.10, 1.90) | 1.25 (0.91, 1.72) |
| Neutral | 1.98 (1.53, 2.56) | 1.30 (0.95, 1.78) |
| A little happy | 2.29 (1.76, 2.96) | 1.66 (1.21, 2.29) |
| Very happy | 3.00 (2.30, 3.91) | 2.32 (1.69, 3.19) |
| Hours of sleep (weekends): ≥8 hr/night | ||
| Very unhappy | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| A little unhappy | 1.27 (1.04, 1.54) | 1.15 (0.93, 1.43) |
| Neutral | 1.47 (1.23, 1.77) | 1.37 (1.11, 1.69) |
| A little happy | 1.56 (1.30, 1.87) | 1.54 (1.26, 1.90) |
| Very happy | 1.63 (1.35, 1.96) | 1.72 (1.40, 2.12) |
Values are presented as odds ratio (95% confidence interval).
1
Adjusted for age and subjectively reported economic status.