Galery

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Over 44% of Greeks say that, due to the economic crisis, they are experiencing negative emotions such as insecurity, anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, frustration, bitterness, sadness, stress, the highest percentage being among low income people. At the same time, there is an increase in depressive conditions.

A GPO study commissioned by the National School of Public Health and dedicated to the health and treatment of Greeks during the economic crisis shows that the health condition of Greeks is increasingly deteriorating. It establishes a direct link between health and incomes, chronic health problems and age, excess weight and level of education.

As regards the social dimension of the study, it establishes that about 1/3 of Greeks most of the time have difficulties in paying their bills and that in the group of the population whose income goes mainly towards paying bills and debts, the self-assessment of health is well below the average.

At the same time, 25% of Greeks have not undergone treatment or have not made the recommended tests due to financial difficulties.

The study also shows certain results that are balancing factors during an economic crisis, such as lower percentage of smokers, decreased consumption of alcohol or red meat - a trend that studies have confirmed over the past 13 years.

The highest percentages of good health conditions are reported in the region of Attica and Thessaloniki, and the worst on the Aegean islands and Crete, due to the difficult access to health services. According to the study, there was a decline in the level of health conditions among young people in 2011-2015.

As regards health conditions depending on income, as expected, people with the highest income are in perfect health, with the exception of those who 'have no income at all' but indicate that they are in good health. This surprising result is attributed to the young age of the people belonging to this category.

Finally, 42% of respondents are diagnosed with a chronic disease, more than half of whom are women, two out of three are obese or overweight and one out of five patients with a chronic health problem is a smoker (this ratio is one out of three in patients with chronic lung diseases).

Therefore, the study confirms the high morbidity and the increased incidence of the metabolic syndrome, reporting that 59% of respondents who have used health services are obese or overweight.