Lifestyle of young adults – changes and accumulation

Abstract

Abstract Background Young adulthood is a pivotal period for many lifestyle factors becoming established and later affecting health. However, current knowledge on key lifestyle factors among young adults is limited. This study aimed to examine the lifestyle of Finnish young adults and the changes in their lifestyle between the years 2000 and 2017. Further, the accumulation of health promoting and endangering lifestyle factors was evaluated. Methods The study is based on nationally representative data on young adults (aged 18 − 29 years) from the Health 2000 Survey (n = 1894; 90% participated) and the FinHealth 2017 Study (n = 1162; 54% participated). Lifestyle factors were assessed in the interview and by questionnaires. The five key lifestyle factors (use of vegetables, smoking, physical activity, sleep and alcohol consumption) were dichotomized for the evaluation of the accumulation. Weighted prevalences were analyzed by logistic regression taking into account the sampling design and non-response. Results In 2017, 32% (95% CI 25, 41) and 52% (95% CI 45, 60) of young men and women used fresh vegetables daily, respectively. In men, the prevalence had decreased in 2017 compared to 2000 (p < 0.01). The prevalence of daily smoking had decreased (p < 0.01) being 11% in both sexes in 2017. In men, the prevalence of the daily use of snuff had increased from 3% (95% CI 2, 5) to 8% (95% CI 5, 14) in 2017 (p = 0.01). In both years, three out of four were physically active at leisure-time and nine out of ten slept at least six hours per day. In 2017, half of the young adults reached 4 to 5 (maximum) health promoting factors whereas 17% (95% CI 11, 24) of men and 12% (95% CI 8, 18) of women reached only 0 to 2. Conclusions There have been both favourable and unfavourable changes in the lifestyle of young adults during the last decades. The accumulation of health promoting and endangering lifestyle factors was observed indicating needs to versatilely prevent risks for major public health problems. Key messages Many health-endangering lifestyle factors are comparatively common in young adults. It is important to prevent the accumulation of health-endangering lifestyle factors in young adulthood to lower the risks for major public health problems in future.