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Nutrition, lifestyle factors, and mental health in adolescents and young adults living in Austria

  • Julia Walther , Ulrike Aldrian , Hans Peter Stüger , Ingrid Kiefer and Cem Ekmekcioglu EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: May 6, 2014
International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
From the journal International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health Volume 26 Issue 3

Abstract

Background: Due to an alarming trend of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, along with the sparse data on dietary habits and lifestyle factors, the present study aims to analyze the current nutritional behavior as well as the lifestyle and mental health of adolescents and young adults living in Austria.

Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 500 respondents (aged between 14 and 24 years) completed an anonymous questionnaire on nutrition behavior, mental health, and lifestyle factors by Internet survey.

Results: Only 50% of the participants ate breakfast daily and 10% did not eat breakfast at all. About 47% of the respondents consumed milk and milk products daily. Furthermore, only 31% ate fruit and 21% ate vegetables at least once a day, and 46% ate fish seldom or never. Nearly 28% of young people liked to eat fast food twice or thrice a week and more, with males more often replacing a meal with a fast food product (36%) than females (21%). About 46% of the respondents engaged in physical activity only once a week (or more rarely). A fifth of our respondents (23%) spent more than 2 h a day using various social networks, with Facebook being the most popular social network among the respondents. Around 27% claimed to be smokers, with more female (33%) than male (20%) smoker. In terms of sleeping habits, 19% slept <6 h a day. Regarding well-being, 44% were more likely to feel stressed, 35% stated that they were tense, and 43% felt tired and listless. Eating together, physical activity, and sleep patterns showed positive effects on well-being, whereas higher consumption of fast food/snacks/soft drinks and alcoholic drinks/energy drinks was associated with relatively lower well-being.

Conclusions: Unhealthy eating habits, suboptimal physical activity, and smoking are still prominent in a sample of Austrian adolescents and young people. In addition, stress and tiredness are also relevant problems in this collective.

Keywords: Austria; lifestyle factors; mental health; nutrition
Corresponding author: Cem Ekmekcioglu, MD, Institute of Environmental Health, Centre for Public Health, Medical University Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria, Phone: +43-1-40160-34927, E-mail:

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Received: 2013-6-20
Accepted: 2013-10-11
Published Online: 2014-5-6
Published in Print: 2014-8-1

© 2014 by De Gruyter

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Healthy eating and physical activity
  4. Reviews
  5. A comprehensive review of mental health gatekeeper-trainings for adolescents and young adults
  6. A conceptual framework for early adolescence: a platform for research
  7. Original Articles
  8. Body image satisfaction and self-esteem in Thai female adolescents: the moderating role of self-compassion
  9. Iranian university students’ perceived reproductive health needs
  10. An exploration of adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury and religious coping
  11. Adolescents’ view of health concept and its risk factors: a literature review
  12. Suicide attempts and suicides in Bolivia from 2007 to 2012: pesticides are the preferred method – females try but males commit suicide!
  13. Predictive factors and psychosocial effects of Internet addictive behaviors in Cypriot adolescents
  14. Nutrition, lifestyle factors, and mental health in adolescents and young adults living in Austria
  15. University students’ point of views to facilitators and barriers to sexual and reproductive health services
  16. The context of alcohol consumption among adolescents and their families
  17. Determinants of condom use at sexual debut among young Vietnamese
  18. Associations between sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit
  19. Body size preferences among young women in five Arab countries: a cross-cultural study
  20. Drug knowledge of expatriate adolescents in the United Arab Emirates and their attitudes towards self-medication
  21. Perspectives of clinical medical directors in child and adolescent psychiatry: diagnostic and treatment needs of migrant families
  22. Factors associated with physical inactivity among female and male rural adolescents in Borneo – a cross-sectional study
  23. Book Review
  24. Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel M.D
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2013-0310
Keywords for this article
Austria; lifestyle factors; mental health; nutrition

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. Healthy eating and physical activity
  4. Reviews
  5. A comprehensive review of mental health gatekeeper-trainings for adolescents and young adults
  6. A conceptual framework for early adolescence: a platform for research
  7. Original Articles
  8. Body image satisfaction and self-esteem in Thai female adolescents: the moderating role of self-compassion
  9. Iranian university students’ perceived reproductive health needs
  10. An exploration of adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury and religious coping
  11. Adolescents’ view of health concept and its risk factors: a literature review
  12. Suicide attempts and suicides in Bolivia from 2007 to 2012: pesticides are the preferred method – females try but males commit suicide!
  13. Predictive factors and psychosocial effects of Internet addictive behaviors in Cypriot adolescents
  14. Nutrition, lifestyle factors, and mental health in adolescents and young adults living in Austria
  15. University students’ point of views to facilitators and barriers to sexual and reproductive health services
  16. The context of alcohol consumption among adolescents and their families
  17. Determinants of condom use at sexual debut among young Vietnamese
  18. Associations between sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit
  19. Body size preferences among young women in five Arab countries: a cross-cultural study
  20. Drug knowledge of expatriate adolescents in the United Arab Emirates and their attitudes towards self-medication
  21. Perspectives of clinical medical directors in child and adolescent psychiatry: diagnostic and treatment needs of migrant families
  22. Factors associated with physical inactivity among female and male rural adolescents in Borneo – a cross-sectional study
  23. Book Review
  24. Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel M.D
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