The high price of manmade affluence
Greeks generally enjoy good health, according to the findings of a study conducted by the Health Economics Department of the National School of Public Health (under Professor Yiannis Kyriopoulos) in cooperation with the World Health Organization. The study showed that a large proportion of the Greek population (70 percent) rate their health as either very good or good and only 8.4 percent consider it to be poor or very poor. «Gauging one’s health oneself,» said Kyriopoulos, «is a method chosen today, rather than focusing on illnesses and the mortality rate, as it provides more information to researchers and policy makers. It is not enough to enjoy physical health, one must also be psychologically well. Our quality of life is directly linked to the state of our health.» However, the study, which is still being conducted on a sample of 4,500 citizens throughout Greece, has revealed adverse effects on the future of our health due to changes in lifestyle that have taken place over the last 20 to 30 years.
