title: Health risk factors and self-rated health among job-seekers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine a) proportions of behavior related health risk factors among job-seekers and b) to what extend these are related to self-rated health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 12 months, job-seekers were recruited at three job-agencies in northeastern Germany. Among all individuals eligible for study inclusion, 7,906 (79.8%) provided information on smoking, risky drinking, overweight/obesity (body mass index), fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, illicit drug use, and self-rated health. Proportions and 95% confidence intervals stratified by gender, age and duration of unemployment were calculated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses predicting self-rated health were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of each health-risk factor were high, and 52.4% of the sample (53.4% male, 33.5 years mean age) had 3 or more health risk factors. Mostly, the proportions were particularly high among men and long-term unemployed individuals; e.g. 84.8% of the 18-24 year old long-term unemployed men were current smokers. Proportions of substance use related health risk factors were highest among the 18-24 year olds (e.g. risky drinking 28.7%), and proportions of health risk factors related to nutrition and physical inactivity were highest among the 40-64 year olds (e.g. overweight/obesity 65.4%). Depending on gender, all health risk factors and having 3 or more health risk factors were associated with lower self-rated health; odd ratios ranged between 1.2 for smoking (95% CI: 1.0-1.3) and 1.7 for overweight and physical inactivity (95% CI: 1.5-1.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevention efforts to reduce health risk factors and to increase health among job-seekers are needed, and job agencies appear a feasible setting for their implementation.
authors.affiliation: University Medicine Greifswald, Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 48, 17475 Greifswald, Germany. freyer@uni-greifswald.de
authors.forename: Jennis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Freyer-Adam
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaertner
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tobschall
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: John
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs