«A remarkably high number of Europeans say they’re in bad physically or mental shape. It can be seen to coincide with economic and social circumstances," says research coordinator Filip Fors who together with Professor Mikael Hjerm, both at Umeå University, have been responsible for collecting the Swedish data.
This is now the seventh edition of ESS, the European Social Survey, being presented. The report reflects how citizens in twenty European countries as well as Israel look at their health and lifestyle. In comparison to other countries’ citizens, Swedes in general regard their health as very good. At least according to themselves. Only the Irish and the Swiss consider themselves somewhat healthier than the Swedes.
Swedes’ hearts are among the healthiest in Europe and Swedes tend to exercise more than the average European. Sweden has also been successful with its
The study efficiently puts an end to the myth of taciturn Northerners being more prone to depressions than the more
The ESS study has also examined socioeconomic circumstances and their effects on health. Swedes consider themselves lucky when it comes to accommodation and material security during their upbringing. When it comes to those circumstances, the Southern and Eastern Europeans are the ones whose
«It not as easy as just saying that those who are worse off maintain a less healthy lifestyle when it comes to diet, exercise and smoking habits — however this is also usually the case — but the study also shows a link between health and factors such as accommodation, work and upbringing," says Filip Fors.
Overall, 40,000 people, of which 1,791 in Sweden, answered a survey on lifestyle and health.
