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Study Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of future occupational physicians and to evaluate their expectations from and motivations for undertaking postgraduate medical education courses in occupational medicine. This will provide a basis for further increasing the attractiveness of occupational medicine as a discipline in preventive medicine and counteracting the shortage of occupational medical physicians., Methods: At five locations in Germany, physicians in postgraduate medical education courses in occupational medicine were asked about their expectations from occupational medicine, their reasons for starting postgraduate medical education courses, and their assessment of these courses. The survey took place between 2018 and 2021. The data were analysed descriptively, and a cluster analysis was applied to identify the types of motives for continuing postgraduate medical education courses in occupational medicine., Results: Of the 233 respondents, the majority were female (68.5%) and the mean age was 43.1 years (SD 7.9 years). The response at the State Chamber of Physicians of Saxony was 50% and at the remaining four academies was between 18% and 23%. The analysis revealed four different types of motives: "career & interest", "work & life balance", "self-employment" and "desire for change". Two-thirds of the participants were in favour of a greater integration of occupational medicine into medical school curriculum., Conclusions: The results suggest that there are different motives that lead physicians to pursue continuing education in occupational medicine. These motives should be considered when recruiting young occupational physicians., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Background: The transition from school to university is often accompanied by a change in students' lifestyles. So far little is known whether convenience behavior is an essential factor affecting students' health and social interaction. In a heterogeneous population regard to sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) showed a better relationship between convenience-related behavior with overweight and obesity than established questionnaires. Here we assessed convenience behavior in a large well characterized cohort of university students and its association with health-related (mainly sedentary behavior and physical activity), study-related and sociodemographic factors with the Convenience Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)., Methods: A total of 4,351 students participated in an online survey, of which 3,983 (23.6 ± 5.3 years old, 71.3% females) answered the questions concerning convenience behavior. A low value in the CBQ indicates more convenience behavior [Convenience Behavior Index (CBI) range: 3-15]. Differences with regard to sociodemographic (age, gender, body mass index), study-related (semester, degree, field of study) and health-related (physical activity, sedentary behavior) variables were examined with Mann-Whitney-U test or Kruskal-Wallis test and post-hoc tests (Bonferroni)., Results: The CBI of men and women differed significantly ( z  = -6.847, p  < 0.001, r  = 0.11). First-year students and students beyond their first year showed significant differences ( z  = -2.355, p  ≤ 0.05, r  = 0.04). Differences were also found in the field of study (Chi2 (6) = 147.830, p  < 0.001) and the targeted degree (Chi2 (7) = 79.985, p  < 0.001). Furthermore, differences were found in the body mass index (Chi2 (5) = 70.678, p  < 0.001), physical activity (Chi2 (2) = 279.040, p  < 0.001) and sedentary behavior ( z  = -4.660, p  < 0.001, r  = 0.07)., Conclusion: The results showed risk groups of convenience behavior among students [men, first-year, students enrolled in "Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)," bachelor]. Our results confirm for the first time in a very homogeneous population a gender difference and an association between CBI and health-related factors. Further studies are needed to analyze the health behavior of students in more detail, especially their convenience behavior., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Schwab, Reichel, Werner, Schäfer, Heller, Edelmann, Beutel, Letzel, Dietz, Simon and Kalo.)

Objectives: To target health communication at less health-conscious groups, evidence on health behaviours' effects on non-health-related outcomes - such as academic performance - is necessary. Recent research has highlighted the associations of various health behaviours on academic performance of university students. However, there is a lack of research investigating the most predominant health behaviours simultaneously and their association with academic performance, as well as the factors that potentially influence the direction or strength of these associations. Therefore, this study investigated (I) which of the predominant health behaviours (physical activity, healthy diet, sleep, sedentary behaviour, alcohol consumption, smoking, drug use) are most associated with academic performance and (II) whether the personal resource of trait mindfulness moderates these associations., Methods: An online survey was conducted amongst university students during the 2021 summer semester. Group differences in academic performance regarding health behaviours were analysed using ANOVA ( N  = 1,049). A first linear regression model ( N  = 571), considering all selected health behaviours simultaneously, assessed their association with academic performance. A second model ( N  = 540) assessed interaction effects of health behaviours and trait mindfulness. Separate regressions assessed each interaction's association with academic performance., Results: Sleep, fruit and vegetable consumption, and gender were significantly associated with academic performance. The second model showed no significant interaction effects., Conclusion: Targeting sleep and fruit and vegetable consumption might be the most promising strategies for elevating students' academic performance, thereby enabling health communication strategies to reach groups driven by performance improvements rather than health benefits., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Heller, Reichel, Mülder, Schäfer, Schwab, Werner, Letzel, Rigotti and Dietz.)

Objective: This study aimed to determine if there is an increased risk of incident cardiovascular diseases (CVD) resulting from cumulative night shift work in the German population-based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)., Methods: We examined working participants of the GHS at baseline and after five years. Cumulative night shift work in the 10 years before baseline was assessed and categorized as low (1-220 nights ≙ up to 1 year), middle (221-660 nights ≙ 1-3 years), and high (>660 nights ≙ more than 3 years) night shift exposure. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated for incident "quality-assured CVD events" using Cox proportional hazard models., Results: At baseline, 1092 of 8167 working participants performed night shift work. During the follow-up, 202 incident cardiovascular events occurred. The crude incidence rates for CVD per 1000 person-years were 6.88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.80-9.55] for night shift workers and 5.19 (95% CI 4.44-6.04) for day workers. Cumulative incidence curves showed a higher cumulative incidence in workers exposed to night shift work compared to day workers after five years. The adjusted HR for incident CVD events were 1.26 (95% CI 0.68-2.33), 1.37 (95% CI 0.74-2.53) and 1.19 (95% CI 0.67-2.12) for employees in the low, middle and high night shift categories compared to employees without night shift work, respectively., Conclusions: The observed tendencies indicate that night shift work might be negatively associated with cardiovascular health. We expect the continued follow-up will clarify the long-term impact of night shift work.

University students worldwide are facing increasing mental health challenges. Traditional stress models, like the Job/Study Demand-Resources Model, link stressors directly to strain. Yet, recent studies suggest the influence of strain on stressors may be even stronger. Our research explored these reciprocal dynamics among university students, considering social support and mindfulness as potential moderators. We conducted a two-wave panel study with 264 university students. We ran separate cross-lagged panel structural equation analyses for three key health outcomes-emotional exhaustion, depression, and well-being-each paired with perceived study stressors, specifically workload and work complexity. Findings revealed significant stressor and strain effects, with social support notably moderating the impact of emotional exhaustion on workload. These insights challenge traditional stress theories and underscore the importance of mental health support and effective stress management strategies for students, emphasizing the need for proactive mental health initiatives in academic environments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people around the world were forcibly displaced, the highest number ever recorded. Of these, 50% were women. Despite this situation, little is known about the mental health of female refugees. The first aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among female refugees in Germany. The second aim was to examine which sociodemographic and migration-related variables have an impact on refugees' mental health, and the third aim was to assess the potential predictors of their mental health. A sample of 92 female refugees from East Africa and the Middle East living in Germany were interviewed. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25). The experience of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) was assessed using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). In our sample of female refugees, 65.2% reported symptoms of depression, and 60.9% reported symptoms of anxiety. Symptoms of depression or anxiety were associated with being from the Middle East, having a higher level of education, and reporting more PTEs. The multiple regression model for anxiety was able to explain 32.4% of the variance in anxiety symptoms. The findings highlight the high burden of mental health problems that female refugees bear. The identified predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms should sensitize medical and refugee professionals to identify vulnerable individuals and groups, refer them to appropriate psychological treatment, and, where possible, modify the identified predictors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Bohland, Kimbel, Kegel, Dietz, Koestner, Letzel, Kurmeyer, Jesuthasan, Schouler-Ocak and Zier.)