According to the head of the Public Health Department of the State Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health Nina Tkachonok more than 70 percent of the citizens of our republic think that healthy life style comes into fashion now. However, more than 43 percent note that they have recently started to pay more attention to their health. The number of people who blame human being for decline in health is also growing from year to year. Thus, if there were 88.9 percent of them in 2004, then today already 91 percent of the Belarusians think this way.It is known that state of health and life expectancy are some 50 percent dependent on the way of life. The most negatively health-affecting factors are as follows: smoking, alcoholism, drinking, drug addiction, toxicomania, physical inactivity, bad eating habits, overweight, difficult living conditions. That’s why among the most important measures to be taken for health protection of the citizens, one can find formation of healthy life style habits and stiffening of the sanitary-hygienic culture.
As compared to the medication costs these measures don’t require significant financial expenses and can be socioeconomically efficient, thinks Nina Tkachonok.
According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, in the countries where the health care expenses ratio in the gross domestic product (GDP) is relatively high, fitness index is generally higher. For instance, the public health state leaders are such countries as Japan (health care expenses total 7.1 percent of the GDP), Switzerland (10.1 percent), Norway (6.5 percent), and Luxembourg (6.6 percent). In the countries where the rate of health care expenses is lower (e.g. Saudi Arabia with the health care expenses ratio in the GDP of 3.5 percent, Venezuela — 3.9 percent) the public health state is worse.
“Enhancement of life quality is one of the priorities of the demographic policy in the Republic of Belarus”, emphasized Nina Tkachonok.
Irina Tikhomirova
