Relationship Between Combined and Individual Lifestyle Components and Stress Perception in Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Nutrition and Physical Activity
5 affiliations
- 1BIOMETRA Department, University of Milan, 20129 Milan, Italy
- 2Exercise Medicine Unit, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, 20135 Milan, Italy
- 3DISCCO Department, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- 4ASSIDIM, 20122 Milan, Italy
- 5SEGE Srl, 20146 Milan, Italy
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.
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BibTeX
@article{oggionni2026relationship,
title = {{Relationship Between Combined and Individual Lifestyle Components and Stress Perception in Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Nutrition and Physical Activity}},
author = {Gianluigi Oggionni and Giuseppina Bernardelli and Mara Malacarne and Francesco Capria and Michele Galiano and Marcello Marchese and Stefano Cribellati and Daniela Lucini},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213696},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3696},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Relationship Between Combined and Individual Lifestyle Components and Stress Perception in Employees: A Cross-Sectional Study Focusing on Nutrition and Physical Activity
AU - Gianluigi Oggionni
AU - Giuseppina Bernardelli
AU - Mara Malacarne
AU - Francesco Capria
AU - Michele Galiano
AU - Marcello Marchese
AU - Stefano Cribellati
AU - Daniela Lucini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/07
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213696
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3696
AB - 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.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -