Paragraph 1:Paragraph 1: Health is an invaluable asset that should be cherished throughout life. However, statistics indicate that many individuals in Portugal prioritize other aspects over their health, leading to concerning health trends. Paragraph 2: Physical inactivity is a significant issue, with 73% of Portuguese never or rarely engaging in sports. Only 17% of adults meet the recommended physical activity guidelines, while 25% of young people spend over eight hours a day inactive. This lack of exercise increases the risk of chronic diseases. Paragraph 3: Unhealthy dietary habits are also prevalent. Despite 69% of Portuguese recognizing food’s importance for health, 17% are classified as obese. Obesity and overweight rates are particularly alarming among youth, indicating future health concerns. Paragraph 4: Physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are correlated and contribute to premature mortality and a decrease in healthy years after age 65. Portugal has a lower average of healthy years (8) compared to the EU average (10). Paragraph 5: Public policies and private entities need to collaborate to promote healthy behaviors early in life. Technology and digital tools can facilitate healthcare, providing users with tools to track their health metrics and motivate them to improve their habits. Paragraph 6: Digital health can aid in the paradigm shift towards prioritizing health. Unlike financial wealth, health cannot be easily generated later in life. Therefore, it is crucial to invest in health today to secure a healthier future.
Many years ago there was an advertisement that said, “Saving is sending money into the future.” The same thing happens with health, that is, what we do today sends or takes health into the future.
Health is a priceless asset and must be preserved throughout our lives. However, reality – and data – show that many Portuguese do not think (and therefore do not act) this way.
According to Eurobarometer, 73% of Portuguese say they never or never do sports, an increase of another five percentage points compared to 2017. To make matters worse, in Portugal only 17% of adults do more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week, almost half of the European Union (EU) average. 25% of our young people over the age of 15 report being inactive (sitting or lying down, not counting the time they spend sleeping) for eight or more hours per day. Physical inactivity is linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
When it comes to food, according to a survey entitled “Portuguese Health: A Double Intelligence in Its Own Name”, carried out by Projeto Saúdes (www.saudes.pt), 69% of Portuguese consider food as a decisive factor for health. However, in stark contrast, the percentage of adults classified as obese in Portugal is 17%. And in the younger age groups, in 2022, 20% of Portuguese children aged 15 were overweight and/or obese (worrying data for the future of our collective health).
Lack of physical activity and unhealthy diet are interrelated and are behavioural risk factors that contribute to premature mortality and, of course, to the decrease in the number of healthy years we have after the age of 65: an average of eight years in Portugal, while the average in the European Union is ten years.
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To change this paradigm, public policies must work to encourage the adoption of healthy behaviors from an early age (the OECD has even recommended a target of reducing physical inactivity by 15% globally). But in the name of sustainability and balance in the system, and for the sake of citizenship, private entities, such as health brands, must also do their part.
One of the ways we can do this is, of course, through technology and digital tools, which allow for a closer, more flexible and more comprehensive healthcare. According to another study by Projeto Saúdes, 35% of Portuguese people track their weight daily through an app; 28% count the steps or kilometres they have walked; 25% the hours they have slept; 19% their heart rate and 17% their water intake. These statistics are (or can be) a source of inspiration for good behaviour, serving not only as direct forms of self-diagnosis, but above all as daily motivators to achieve goals, strengthening the will to overcome them.
More measurement and access to statistics – digital health – could therefore be a valuable aid to the paradigm shift we so desperately need. If health can be sent to the future like money, there is a big difference: we have the opportunity to generate money or wealth at any time in our lives. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about health. There is an urgent need to promote the health of tomorrow, today and always.
Sources: Health Project: Health of the Portuguese: Business Intelligence in its Own Name (2021); Eurobarometer: European Commission (2022), European Special Barometer SP525: Sport and physical activity; OECD/European Observatory of Health Systems and Policies (2023), Portugal: Country Health Profiles 2023, State of Health in the European Union; National Health Survey (INE, 2019); OECD, Global Status Report on Physical Activity, 2022
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