Health behavior of Austrian tertiary students focusing on diet type linked to sports and exercise—first glimpse of results from the “sustainably healthy—from science 2 high school and university” study

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a strong association between lifestyle behavior and health status. While young adulthood is a critical period for adopting and stabilizing lifelong healthy behavior, university life is independently associated with psychological stressors that may further affect health and well-being.ObjectiveThe present multidisciplinary study aimed to examine the health behavior of Austrian college and university students, differentiated based on diet types (vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous) and physical activity (PA) habits.MethodsFollowing a cross-sectional study design, a total number of 6,148 students (65.3% females; 66.1% bachelor students, 67.0% from urban areas; mean age: 24.8 years) from 52 Austrian college/universities participated in an online survey and provided data on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary patterns, PA habits, and other lifestyle behavior characteristics, including alcohol intake and smoking.ResultsAcross the total sample, 74.0% had a normal weight (BMI = 18.5–25.0 kg/m2), while the prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) was lower in females than males and more in rural than urban students (p < 0.01). The general prevalence of vegetarian and vegan diets was 22.8 and 6.0%, respectively, with a predominance of females, graduates, and urban students compared to their peers (p < 0.01). The majority of students (79.3%) had a regular engagement in sport/exercise, with a predominance of vegetarian or vegan students compared to omnivores (p < 0.01). Vegans and vegetarians had a lower alcohol intake (p < 0.01) but no differences in smoking habits (p > 0.05) compared to omnivores. Students engaging in sport/exercise had a lower smoking rate and higher intake of fruits, vegetables, and fluids compared to inactive students (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe present findings suggest that diet type and PA habits of college/university students have an impact on other health behaviors, highlighting the interconnected nature of lifestyle habits and health behavior.

Gender Disparities in Health Biomarkers, Lifestyle Patterns, and Nutritional Status among Bank Staff: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This finding is partially in line with other national and international reports (including the Global Nutrition Report-Austria), indicating a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity among male adults compared to females [48][49][50][51]. Similar results were also reported from a series of Austrian studies conducted on school pupils and teachers [52,53] and university students and staff [54,55], as well as two Brazilian investigations on bank employees [56,57]. However, a study conducted on Ghanaian bank employees shows that, although highly prevalent in general (55.6%), there was no significant gender difference in the prevalence of overweight/obesity [58].…”

Health Patterns across Adulthood: An Age-Based Investigation of the Nutritional Status, Homocysteine, and CoQ10 of Bank Staff

“…Consistent with the present findings, data from a 2019 national report showed that there is a gradual increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity across four age categories in adulthood, starting from 29.4% (among people aged 15-30 years) to 65.8% (among those aged 60-75 years) [80]. Comparable findings were also documented in Austrian investigations carried out among school teachers [88], university students [89], and university professors [90]. The age-associated difference in the prevalence of excess body weight could potentially be attributed to a combination of various factors, including a decreased metabolic rate, evolving lifestyles, and dietary habits [91].…”

The Association of Physical Activity Level with Micronutrient and Health Status of Austrian Bank Employees

“…While the distribution of sex and age within the present study groups was normal and insignificant, other factors such as dietary habits, stress levels, and workplace culture may play a key role in explaining the above difference. Consistently, data from large-scale Austrian studies spanning various age groups demonstrate that PA patterns are linked to the interplay of several lifestyle factors [65][66][67][68], highlighting the significance of recognizing diverse health determinants.…”