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

Autor: Katharina C. Wirnitzer, Mohamad Motevalli, Armando Cocca, Derrick R. Tanous, Gerold Wirnitzer, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Manuel Schätzer, Clemens Drenowatz, Gerhard Ruedl, Werner Kirschner
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 11 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-2565
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1129004
Popis: 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 0.05) 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
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