Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the number of hours of nutrition education and teachers’ qualifications with nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviour in students.Design: In this representative cross-sectional study, socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements, socio-economic status (SES), physical fitness, nutrition knowledge and eating habits were assessed. Differences between groups were tested byχ²andttests. Multiple linear and logistic regression modelling was used to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics, lifestyle and dietary behaviours, nutrition knowledge, nutrition-trained teachers and number of nutrition lessons.Setting: Sixteen secondary schools in urban (n6) and rural regions (n10) of Tyrol, Western Austria.Participants: Students (n513) aged 14·2 (sd0·7) years.Results: Higher nutrition knowledge was significantly associated with attending rural school (P= 0·001), having no migration background (P< 0·001), (very) good physical activity behaviour (P= 0·040), non-trained teacher (P= 0·006) but higher number of hours of nutrition education (P= 0·013). Regression models showed that higher nutrition knowledge was independently associated with lower intake of meat and iced tea and higher intake of vegetables and plant-based oils. A higher amount of nutrition education (h/week) was significantly associated with higher intake of dark (wholegrain) bread, lower intake of meat and of energy drinks sweetened with sweeteners.Conclusions: Our results suggest that more hours in nutrition education result in higher nutrition knowledge and greater nutrition literacy, which may lead to health-promoting dietary habits. School-based nutrition education can be seen as preventive measure to increase nutritional competences in adolescents independent of their SES.

The promotion of nutritionally poor food and beverages (F&B) has a proven effect on children’s eating preferences and, therefore, plays a significant role in today’s childhood obesity epidemic. This study’s objective was to assess the prevalence (exposure) and context (power) of the F&B cues in influencer content across three platforms: TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The selected influencers were popular with adolescents, with a combined total of more than 34 million followers/subscribers. We employed the YouTube Influencer Marketing Protocol from the World Health Organization (WHO) as our basis for coding. We analysed a total of 360 videos/posts and, of these, 24% contained F&B cues, which is equivalent to 18.1 F&B cues/hour. In total, 77% of the cues were not permitted for children’s advertising, according to WHO criteria, and this was stable across all platforms, with chocolate and sugary confectionery (23%) as the most frequently featured products. Not-permitted F&B had a four-times higher chance of being branded, a five-times higher chance of being described positively, and received significantly more ‘likes’. In 62% of the analysed presentations, the branded product was mentioned, yet only 6% of the content was labelled as advertising. The present analysis delivers further grounds for discussion for policies and regulations of influencer marketing.

A balanced diet and sufficient physical activity (PA) are known to have positive health effects. The relationship between a vegan diet and PA levels is understudied. This cross-sectional online survey aimed to analyze whether different vegan dietary patterns differ in PA. In total, 516 vegan participants were included (June to August 2022). Different dietary patterns were compiled through principal component analysis, while group differences were calculated using independent tests, or chi-squared tests as well as logistic regression analyses. The population had an average age of 28.0 (SD: 7.7) years and had been living vegan for 2.6 (95% CI: 2.5–3.0) years. Two dietary patterns, the “convenience” and the “health-conscious” group, were identified. People with a convenience dietary pattern had significantly higher odds of sitting more (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04–1.18) and not achieving aerobic PA (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.18–2.79) or strength training recommendations (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.26–2.61) than people with a health-conscious dietary pattern. This study suggests the heterogeneity of vegan diets and that dietary patterns must be differentiated, as they also differ in the level of PA. Additional studies involving complete dietary assessment with a focus on ultraprocessed foods, blood metabolite analysis, and objective PA assessment are required.

Digital marketing of unhealthy foods is linked to childhood obesity. This study evaluated nutrient quality and creative strategies of food cues on social media, focusing on child/youth influencers, to inform the ongoing digital media regulatory debate. Using the WHO’s Monitoring of Marketing of Unhealthy Products to Children and Adolescents protocol, 162 videos from seven child/youth influencers’ YouTube accounts with German content (33.8 h) were analyzed, classifying foods and beverages as permitted or not based on the WHO Nutrient Profile Model. Two-thirds (67%) of the n = 901 food cues analyzed were not permitted for marketing to children, 30.4% were permitted, and 2.6% were miscellaneous. Chocolate had the biggest proportion (19.8%). Child-appealing food cues were significantly more likely to feature not permitted foods than permitted foods (91.1% vs. 71.9%, p < 0.001). Of branded foods, 46.5% were not permitted foods and 7.7% were permitted foods (p < 0.001), and of those with positive verbal attributions/reactions, 36.9% were not permitted foods, and 28.1% were permitted foods (p < 0.001). Similarly, compared to 36.9% of not permitted foods, only 28.1% of permitted foods were presented with positive verbal attributions/reactions (p < 0.001). Children are exposed to extensive appealing presentations of food not permitted for marketing to children via influencers on digital media. Policy makers need to become more active in monitoring and regulating this content.

Patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are regarded to have reduced serum magnesium (Mg) concentrations. We aimed to assess the changes in serum Mg concentrations at 12-month follow-up in patients, with and without T2DM, who underwent one anastomosis gastric bypass surgery. Overall, 50 patients (80% female, age 42.2 (12.5) years) with morbid obesity (mean baseline BMI 43.8 (4.3) kg/m²) were included in the analysis. Half of the included patients had T2DM diagnosed at baseline, and these patients showed lower serum Mg concentration (0.78 (0.07)) vs. 0.83 (0.05) mmol/L; p = 0.006), higher blood glucose levels (129.9 (41.3) vs. 87.6 (8.1) mg/dL; p < 0.001) as well as HbA1c concentrations (6.7 (1.4) vs. 5.3 (0.5)%; p < 0.001). During follow-up, BMI and glucose levels showed a decrease; however, serum Mg levels remained stable. At baseline 42% of patients were found to be Mg deficient, which was reduced to 33% at six months and to 30% at 12 months follow-up. Moreover, patients with T2DM had an odds ratio of 9.5 (95% CI = 3.0–29.7; p < 0.001) for magnesium deficiency when compared to patients without T2DM. Further research into the role of Mg and its role in T2DM and other obesity-related comorbidities are needed.

Low fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, sedentary behavior, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking are risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases. This study describes the patterns and factors of nutrition (F&V and alcohol intake), physical activity (PA), obesity, and other chronic diseases of 10,053 adult farmers (52.7% female) in Austria, based on the cross-sectional survey from the Austrian Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed and compared with the results of the general Austrian population from 2019 (n = 14,606; 53.7% female). Compared to the general Austrian population, farmers showed a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity (42.8% vs. 36.5%; 18.8% vs. 17.1%), as well as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus. Additionally, farmers ate less F&V (0 servings/day 39.7% vs. 14.0%; 1–4 servings/day 55.5% vs. 80.8%) and only 4.8% vs. 5.1% (p < 0.001) fulfilled the F&V recommendations. Lower participation in endurance training (38.3% vs. 52.1%) was found, whereas farmers did more strength training (64.1% vs. 27.6%). Those who failed to fulfill the PA recommendations reported worse health status (OR: 3.14; 95%-CI: 2.08–4.76) and a higher chance for obesity (OR: 1.68; 95%-CI: 1.38–2.05). Since obesity rates among farmers are high and recommendations have rarely been met, every opportunity should be taken to promote healthy eating and adequate PA.