{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Stress is one of the main concerns of the working population in Western countries, as it is associated with reduced well-being and performance, as well as the adoption of an unhealthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, scientific findings indicate that lifestyle improvements, particularly healthy nutrition and increased physical activity, are a pivotal tool for managing stress and improving well-being. This study aimed to verify, in a large cohort of employees, whether overall and individual lifestyle categories might be associated with different stress perceptions (primary outcome). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 3380 employees from several Italian companies voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire on lifestyle. Five lifestyle components for which validated cut-offs are available in the literature (nutrition, physical activity, smoking, sleep, and body mass index [BMI]) were used to define lifestyle categories both individually and through a combined lifestyle score (overall lifestyle score [OLS]). Results: We observed that OLS healthier lifestyle categories are characterized by a progressive reduction in stress perception, which remains significant after adjustment for sex, age and job role (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.022). Moreover, they also showed lower fatigue and somatic symptom scores and better perceived health, sleep quality, and work performance. For individual lifestyle components, nutrition (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.011), physical activity (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.018), and sleep duration (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.015) were associated with stress perception, whereas findings for BMI and smoking were less consistent. Conclusions: Healthier dietary habits, higher physical activity volume, and a more favourable overall lifestyle profile were associated with lower self-reported stress in this population.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "BIOMETRA Department, University of Milan, 20129 Milan, Italy",
    "Exercise Medicine Unit, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, 20135 Milan, Italy",
    "DISCCO Department, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy",
    "ASSIDIM, 20122 Milan, Italy",
    "SEGE Srl, 20146 Milan, Italy"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gianluigi Oggionni",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-5108-2594"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Giuseppina Bernardelli",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6626-8526"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mara Malacarne",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3957-3781"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Francesco Capria"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Michele Galiano"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Marcello Marchese"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Stefano Cribellati",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9045-2681"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Daniela Lucini",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4845-8988"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/engy3f11ec1xk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/nu18213696",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "engy3f11ec1xk",
  "issns": [
    "2072-6643"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3696",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-07",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/engy3f11ec1xk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-10T00:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/nu18213696",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3696"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2072-6643",
      "subfield": "nutrition"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Relationship Between Combined and Individual Lifestyle Components and Stress Perception in Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Nutrition and Physical Activity",
  "title_text": "Relationship Between Combined and Individual Lifestyle Components and Stress Perception in Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Nutrition and Physical Activity",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-10T00:21:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/engy3f11ec1xk",
  "venue": "Nutrients",
  "versions": []
}