After the Covid pandemic, more than one-third of Swiss report poor health

In the over-65 category, the deterioration is the most marked: 46% said they feel unhealthy compared to 30% in 2020. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

The pandemic may be behind us, but the Swiss are not in the best of health: according to a study for the insurance company CSS Group, 34% of people in Switzerland say they feel unhealthy or even ill, whereas three years ago the figure was 22%.

In the over-65 category, the deterioration is the most marked: 46% compared to 30% in 2020.

The study conducted by Sotomo, according to a CSS press release on Monday, shows that sick days for adults over 65 years of age increased from 2.6 in the pre-pandemic period and during the pandemic to 4.5 in 2023, i.e., more than double. The elderly are the most resistant to mental illness, but 39% of them do not seek professional help when they need it.

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The most frequently reported symptoms are fatigue and exhaustion (68% of cases): it cannot be excluded that the latter may be related to a legacy of Covid. Pain (48%), infectious diseases (41%) and stress (40%) follow on the list. Poor health affects the quality and quantity of sleep as well as physical activities and sociability.

Mental health is a major challenge for Switzerland in 2023: the number of people who considered themselves to be in good mental health was about three out of four two years ago, whereas in 2023 it is only two-thirds. Illnesses in this area are mainly suffered by young adults, although their moods are improving slightly. Nevertheless, only 38% of the population between 18 and 35 years of age turn to specialists in this field, and of those who do, about 50% do not find the support they were hoping for.

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The combination of work and stress at home especially afflicts women between 41 and 50 years of age, who are the category with the lowest mood. Three out of four respondents believe that flexible work is psychologically beneficial and allows them to reconcile work and private life: this perception is especially widespread among women, who still do the larger share of care work. In general, in this age group, those who consider themselves to be in good mental health have fallen from 75% two years ago to 67% in 2023.

The survey conducted online by Sotomo was based on responses from 2,432 people collected between June 6 and 29 in the three main language regions. The margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points.

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