Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies on lifestyle risk factors mainly focused on age- or gender-specific differences. However, lifestyle risk factors also vary across regions. Aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which prevalence rates of SNAP (smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, physical activity) vary between East and West Germany or North and South Germany.MethodsData came from the population-representative 2015 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) comprising 9204 subjects aged 18 to 64 years. To assess an east-west or south-north gradient, two binary logistic regression models were carried out for each SNAP factor.ResultsThe logistic regression models revealed statistically significant differences with higher rates of at-risk alcohol consumption and lower rates of unhealthy nutrition in East Germany compared to West Germany. Significant differences between North and South Germany were found for at-risk alcohol consumption with higher rates of at-risk alcohol consumption in South Germany. Daily smoking and low physical activity were equally distributed across regions.ConclusionsThe implementation of measures reducing at-risk alcohol consumption in Germany should take the identified east-west and south-north gradient into account. Since the prevalence of unhealthy nutrition was generally high, prevention and intervention measures should focus on Germany as a whole instead of specific regions.
Highlights
Previous studies on lifestyle risk factors mainly focused on age- or gender-specific differences
East Germany showed the highest prevalence for at-risk alcohol consumption (18.3%, 95%-Confidence interval (CI) = [16.2; 20.6]), which differed statistically significant from the prevalence in West (14.6, 95%-CI = [13.6; 15.8]) and North Germany (13.9, 95%-CI = [12.7; 15.1])
The results of the present study can lead to a better understanding of the social epidemiology of lifestyle risk factors in Germany and provide starting points to develop or adjust health policies for reducing lifestyle risk factors by considering regional variabilities
Summary
Previous studies on lifestyle risk factors mainly focused on age- or gender-specific differences. Aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which prevalence rates of SNAP (smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, physical activity) vary between East and West Germany or North and South Germany. Unhealthy nutrition, at-risk alcohol consumption and physical inactivity (SNAP) are known as lifestyle risk factors which are related to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or chronic respiratory diseases [1, 2]. The risk of SNAP varies by sociodemographic factors such as age, gender or education, and across geographical or political regions. Völzke and colleagues [8] reported that young people in East Germany were more likely to smoke than in West
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