The study shows “a marked drop in French investment in the management of their health capital, in particular in prevention”. Only one in two French people (50%) take care of their health on a regular basis, compared to 52% last year. A figure that has been steadily declining since 2006.
Respondents are less willing to make an effort to stay healthy. Thus, the survey underlines that in 2006, 86% of Ile-de-France residents believed that quitting smoking helped to stay in good health. In 2008, only 74% think so. Likewise, while 65% of respondents said that watching your diet helps to stay healthy, they are down to 58% this year.
If the French know what to do to stay healthy, there is little to take concrete action to improve their health. They recognize that lack of exercise, lack of sleep, stress and weight gain are detrimental to health, but only 18%, for example, regularly monitor their weight.
The opinion of the French on health in France is also deteriorating. All indicators scrutinized by Kiria and Philips are stable or declining. 87% of French people say they are better informed about their health system (against 91% in 2007), 61% believe that the healthcare offer is more accessible (against 70%) and 60% that healthcare is accessible to all (against 66%).
Worse still, the health system is increasingly criticized. 74% think it is deteriorating from year to year. They were 65% to think so last year and in 2006.
The barometer also highlights a new behavior. Respondents place increasing trust in the media (30% in 2008 vs. 22% in 2007) and the Internet (26% vs. 17%) to the detriment of the medical profession (58% vs. 60%).
This survey was conducted with a sample of 1,005 Internet users (self-administered questionnaires), representative of the French population, aged 18 and over.
