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The increasing global prevalence of overweight and obesity highlights an urgent need to explore modifiable obesogenic factors. This study investigated the impact of lifestyle factors, such as beer and wine drinking, cigarette smoking, and leisure time screen viewing activities, on body weight and the development of obesity. Individual level data were selected from a random sample of 3471 German adults using a two-stage disproportionate random sampling procedure. The empirical analysis employed a two-stage equations system and combined the endogenous treatment effects model with the quantile regression technique. Our estimations showed that the decisions to smoke and consume wine and beer were positively interrelated, especially in women. Frequent beer/wine drinkers of normal weight were found to have a lower BMI in the male subsample. Quantile regression estimates indicated a significant influence of smoking on BMI in both genders, with smokers’ BMI following an upward trend, especially in the upper quantiles of the distribution. Leisure time screen activity was found to have a major impact on females’ BMI. Prolonged television viewing and regular computer gaming had a strong relationship with weight increase in overweight women, whereas internet surfing was inversely correlated with the BMI of normal weight and slightly overweight female participants. Nutrition and health policies should direct individuals toward alternative recreational activities in order to substitute screen usage and reduce sedentary time. This study also raised doubts about the general belief that smokers have a lower body weight. As unhealthy behaviors usually co-occur or cluster together, obesity prevention interventions might also contribute to a decrease in smoking.

Purpose: Employers face the challenge of preparing for a new, upcoming generational cohort that is different in its expectations of the workplace, which goes hand-in-hand with its values. Therefore, Generation Z in Austria must receive detailed attention because it will make up a significant proportion of the workforce in the future. Questions will emerge about how to recruit this cohort or how to retain them. This research fills this gap by analyzing their espoused national cultural values and corresponding work values while considering implications from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Design/Method/Approach: This quantitative research surveyed 138 Austrians from the Generation Z. Findings: The results show a very low Power Distance score, concluding that Austrian Generation Z does not prefer unequally distributed power; a low preference for Collectivism; a higher preference for Uncertainty Avoidance, and lower masculinity. In terms of work values, Austrian Generation Z demonstrated the strongest preferences for intrinsic and social rewards and emphasized the importance of offering benefits such as remote work opportunities and flexibility in work scheduling. Theoretical implications (if applicable): Did you develop an existing theory? Did you reject any of existing theories? Which theoretical framework did you alter? Practical implications: Therefore, Human Resources practices are to be adapted aiming to successfully recruit and retain Austrian Generation Z. Originality/Value: This research is among the early attempts to not only understand how espoused national cultural values and COVID impact work values of Generation Z in Austria. Research limitations/Future research: The smaller sample size and the over representation of females impact the extent to which findings can be generalized to all of Generation Z in Austria. Future research should expand the sample within Austria and internationally.

Originally associated to big cities' centres, coworking spaces and "third-places" have been blooming in rural regions and small towns over the past five years. The development of those places has been critically supported by local and national authorities, with a growing interest from rural localities. Indeed, those places are supposed to provide answers to numerous contemporary territorial challenges, and to tackle several dimensions or rural vulnerability. They are supposed to enhance sustainability by reducing the need to commute and car-dependence, by bringing both workplaces and services closer from home. They are also mobilised to tackle the issue of the digital gap between centres and peripheries, providing digital infrastructures and hardware. Finally, they are supposed to reduce territorial inequalities by strenghtening rural entrepreneurship, safeguarding local jobs, facilitating professional retraining and attract new residents by providing an easier access to telework. Conducted between 2018 and 2020 in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, our study provides some elements to evaluate the effects of those places on territorial vulnerability and marginality. Based on the study of 17 coworking spaces situated in rural areas, their funders' trajectories and their users' profiles, we discuss the motives and the expected returns of those places, and their actual potentialities and limits. We first present the definitions of coworking spaces and third-places, the origin of their recent spread in the rural areas and the main features of their geographical locations. Then, we present the rationales behind the creation and attendance to those places, by analysing funders and users' trajectories and motives. We then present the potentialities and limits of third-places on territorial vulnerability. In the discussion, we interrogate the notion of marginality at the light of those places, that can be defined essentially as spatial and social networks. Indeed, our study e

Based on an analysis of leisure and consumer practices of students of two leading Kaliningrad universities, this paper attempts to reconstruct the actual space of Kaliningrad youth lifestyles, as well as to identify and describe groups following these lifestyles in socio-­economic and demographic terms. Five style groups are identified: the party people who prefer to spend their free time in bars and clubs; the hipsters who frequent theatres and lecture halls, whilst being staunch upholders of the consumerist culture promoted via social media; the ‘normal’ young people choosing physical exercise and standard weekend leisure activities; the young adults combining Soviet leisure heritage with creative and do-it-yourself practices; the homebodies opting for stay-at-home entertainment. Drawing on the discussion about the significance of lifestyle for modern society, the author concludes that lifestyles do not replace the usual socio-­economic stratification markers, and their capacity to differentiate youth groups with unequal access to economic and cultural resources of youth is also limited. Youth leisure lifestyles form an independent system of stratification, which partially coincides with existing social boundaries and partially overlaps with them. The main dividing line runs between the young people who can afford to choose from a ‘supermarket of styles’ and those deprived of such an opportunity.

Die Ambitionen der Bundesregierung unter Kanzler Olaf Scholz scheinen klar umrissen: Deutschland grundlegend modernisieren! Doch der Rückhalt der pandemiemüden Bevölkerung ist der Ampelkoalition nicht garantiert. Die Beiträger*innen skizzieren ausgehend vom Koalitionsvertrag Perspektiven unserer Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft sowie unseres politischen Systems. Sie analysieren mit teils exklusiv erhobenen Daten vorherrschende Milieus und Lebensstile, beschreiben politische Konfliktfelder und volkswirtschaftliche Herausforderungen. Mit Expertisen im Feld der Politik, Sozialwissenschaft und Ökonomie liefern sie ein facettenreiches Bild der Bundesrepublik zu Beginn einer tiefgreifenden Transformation.

This article tackles the issue of professional inclusion of "knowledgeable" migrants under consideration of the paradigmatic life course framework. It thus aims to contribute to international research on human capital valorisation. The comparative analysis of this study is grounded on qualitative data from 30 in‐depth interviews with German, Romanian, and Italian qualified movers in Italy and Germany, who did not migrate for reasons resulting from economic hardship or poverty, but rather to improve their living conditions on familial (tied movers), professional, or socio‐cultural level. Our research aimed to investigate their professional trajectories and corresponding skill utilisation. Findings of the study confirm two predominant tracks of professional integration in the labour host context characterised either by transcultural competence transfer and utilisation or by professional re‐invention and skills acquisition. Particular attention within the data analysis and corresponding conclusions has been paid to potential dynamics for social and economic up and downward mobility and the role of the three heterogenous (more and less privileged) national and cultural backgrounds for brain circulation.

Wir verbinden drei thematische Felder miteinander. Zuerst (1) diskutieren wir wesentliche Aspekte der Multilokalität des sozialen Lebens, danach stellen wir als die geeignete Untersuchungseinheit den Haushalt von mobilen und immobilen Partner_innen dar, die eine Lebens- und Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft bilden, um (3) die vorläufig ermittelte Typologie zu diskutieren. Schließlich diskutieren wir die offenen Fragen und den daraus folgernden Forschungsbedarf.

Das Aufwachsen für Kinder und Jugendliche in sozialökonomisch schwachen Strukturen hat nicht nur einen negativen Einfluss auf deren Lebensbedingungen und sozialen Teilhabechancen, sondern prägt ebenfalls deren gesundheitliche Entwicklung. Kinder aus einkommensschwachen Familien tendieren eher dazu, an Übergewicht und Adipositas zu leiden, als Kinder aus sozial und ökonomisch besser gestellten Verhältnissen. Im weiteren Verlauf kann das zu vielen Folgekrankheiten und schlechterer physischer und psychischer Entwicklung führen, was die bereits bestehende Chancenungleichheit dieser Kinder und Jugendlichen drastisch verstärkt. Diese Zusammenhänge lassen sich auch in der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart beobachten.

Identifying the dimensional structure of a set of items (e.g., when studying attitudes) is an important and intricate task in empirical social research. In research practice, exploratory factor analysis is usually employed for this purpose. Factor analysis, however, has known problems that may lead to distorted results. One of its central methodological challenges is to select an adequate multidimensional factor space. Purely statistical decision heuristics to determine the number of factors to be extracted are of only limited value. As I will illus­trate using an example from lifestyle research, there is a considerable risk of fragmenting a complex unidimensional construct by extracting too many factors (overextraction) and splitting it across several factors. As an alternative to exploratory factor analysis, this paper presents an innovative scaling procedure called exploratory Likert scaling. This method­ologically based technique is designed to identify multiple unidimensional scales. It reli­ably finds even extensive latent dimensions without fragmenting them. To demonstrate this benefit, this paper takes up an example from lifestyle research and analyzes it using a novel R package for exploratory Likert scaling. The unidimensional scales are constructed se­quentially by means of bottom-up item selection. Exploratory Likert scaling owes its high analytical potential to the principle of multiple scaling, which is adopted from Mokken scale analysis and transferred to classical test theory.

Vor dem Hintergrund der sozial-ökologischen Krisen der Gegenwart ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, nachhaltigere Formen der Lebensführung zu realisieren. Auch wenn sich diese Einsicht in den letzten Jahren zunehmend verbreitet, bleibt weiterhin umstritten, wie dieses Ziel erreicht werden kann. Bildung und "aufgeklärter Konsum" allein werden nicht ausreichen, wie immer wieder deutlich wird. Aber welche Faktoren sind dann von Bedeutung und wie entsteht nachhaltige Lebensführung in der alltäglichen Praxis? Der Autor geht diesen Fragen nach und nimmt dazu die Realisierungsbedingungen nachhaltiger Lebensführung am Beispiel gemeinschaftlicher Wohnprojekte im urbanen Raum differenziert in den Blick.

Die Verbindung von Fleisch und Männlichkeit hat eine enorme kulturelle Relevanz - auch für vegane Ernährung. Eine soziologische Perspektive auf den Ernährungswandel zeigt, wie dieser sozial und kulturell strukturiert ist: Zwischen dem Lebensmittel Fleisch, veganer Ernährung, Körper, Gesundheit und Geschlecht spannt sich ein gesellschaftliches Konfliktfeld auf. Der Autor untersucht diese Zusammenhänge mit großer theoretischer Tiefe in seiner breit angelegten qualitativen empirischen Studie. Dabei kann er die komplexen Bedingungen der Popularisierung und Normalisierung veganer Ernährung sowie die Reproduktion und das Aufbrechen hegemonialer Männlichkeitskonstruktionen nachweisen.

Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 2022

Background and aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally. Apart from established CVD risk markers such as cholesterol and blood pressure, CVD risk can be assessed by anatomical markers of the arterial wall structure, including common carotid intima-media thickness (ccIMT). While unhealthy dietary patterns and other unfavourable lifestyle choices are major contributors to CVD risk, healthy plant-based diets are associated with decreased CVD risk. In this context, lifestyle programmes may constitute an effective tool for empowering individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices, but the effectiveness of such programmes should be assessed in controlled trials. Thus, it was the aim of this thesis to assess the effectiveness of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Programme in improving ccIMT and other CVD markers. Methods: A community-based, non-randomized controlled trial was conducted, including mostly middle-aged and elderly participants from the general population (intervention: n = 114; control: n = 87). The intervention consisted of a lifestyle programme focusing on four key areas: a largely plant-based diet (strongest emphasis), physical activity, stress management, and community support. Parameters were assessed at baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year. The control group received no intervention. Furthermore, a subsequent uncontrolled trial (n = 115) with a very similar lifestyle programme was conducted to replicate the findings. Results: From baseline to 1 year, mean ccIMT significantly increased in both the intervention (0.026 [95% CI 0.012, 0.039] mm) and control group (0.045 [95% CI 0.033, 0.056] mm). The 1-year trajectory of mean ccIMT was lower in the intervention group (between-group difference: -0.012 [95% CI -0.022, -0.002] mm; p = 0.022; adjusted for baseline). In a subgroup analysis of participants with high baseline mean ccIMT (≥0.800 mm), mean ccIMT non-significantly decreased in the intervention group (-0.016 [95% CI, Hintergrund und Ziel: Kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen (CVD) sind die Haupttodesursache weltweit. Neben etablierten CVD-Risikomarkern wie Cholesterin und Blutdruck kann das CVD-Risiko über anatomische Marker der Arterienwand, einschließlich der Intima-Media-Dicke der Arteria carotis communis (ccIMT), erfasst werden. Während ungesunde Ernährungsmuster und andere ungünstige Lebensstilfaktoren in großem Ausmaß zu einem erhöhten CVD-Risiko beitragen, sind gesunde pflanzenbasierte Ernährungsweisen mit einem niedrigeren CVD-Risiko assoziiert. In diesem Zusammenhang stellen Lebensstilprogramme möglicherweise ein effektives Mittel dar, um Individuen dazu zu befähigen, ihren Lebensstil gesünder zu gestalten. Die Effektivität solcher Programme sollte jedoch in kontrollierten Studien überprüft werden. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher, die Wirksamkeit des Healthy Lifestyle Community Programme in Bezug auf die Verbesserung von ccIMT und anderen CVD-Markern zu testen. Methodik: Eine community-basierte, nicht-randomisierte kontrollierte Studie wurde mit Teilnehmenden, die vornehmlich mittleren und höheren Alters waren sowie aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung stammten, durchgeführt (Intervention: N = 114; Kontrolle: N = 87). Die Intervention bestand aus einem Lebensstilprogramm mit vier Schwerpunkten: eine überwiegend pflanzenbasierte Ernährungsweise (stärkste Betonung), körperliche Aktivität, Stressmanagement und gegenseitige Unterstützung. Die Risikoparameter wurden zu Baseline, nach zehn Wochen, sechs Monaten und einem Jahr bestimmt. Die Kontrollgruppe nahm an keiner Intervention teil. Des Weiteren wurde eine unkontrollierte Studie (N = 115) mit einem sehr ähnlichen Lebensstilprogramm durchgeführt, um die Ergebnisse zu reproduzieren. Ergebnisse: Innerhalb von einem Jahr stieg der Parameter mean ccIMT sowohl in der Interventionsgruppe (0,026 [95 % Konfidenzintervall 0,012; 0,039] mm) als auch der Kontrollgruppe (0,045 [0,033; 0,056] mm) signifikant an. Der 1-Jahresverlauf von mean ccIMT war