AXA Prévention’s French Health Barometer assesses the state of health of French people according to fitness and lifestyle indicators. The second edition of this barometer, which has just been published, shows that while 86% of French people feel they are in good health, their shape is in fact far from being as good as they think. In reality, if it is estimated that people who are stressed, tired or sleep deprived cannot claim to be in good health, then only 2 out of 10 people are truly in good shape.
For this barometer, the state of health of the French people was measured using the following 5 fitness indicators:
– A normal or light weight (based on body mass index)
– A quality sleep
– Not or little stress
– The absence of depression
– The absence of serious or chronic illness
According to this barometer, the youngest are the most “stressed”: 53% of those under 25 and 52% of those aged 25 to 34 say they are “under high stress”. Conversely, only 24% of those over 65 say they are stressed, according to this survey carried out with a sample of 1,004 people last July.
Young people are also the most depressed: 31% of 25-34 year olds suffer from depression and it is not much better for those under 25, since 28% are concerned. Here again, the oldest are the most spared: only 13% of those aged 65 and over are confronted with depression.
Stress and depression often go hand in hand with sleeping troubles : it is not surprising to learn that it is generally between the ages of 25 and 34 that the French sleep the least well (41% of them suffer from insomnia, difficulty falling asleep or nocturnal awakenings). Only 17% of people aged 65 and over have sleep problems.
Less stressed and less tired, the oldest are not all in dazzling shape. According to this Health Barometer, 59% of them present a consumption of alcohol at risk for health and 40% of them are overweight (they are only 10% among those under 25).
