‘Health improves in times of crisis’

The economic crisis that struck in 2008 hasn’t made us Europeans sicker. On the contrary. The number of cardiovascular problems decreased, as well as the mortality rates from car accidents. “On average, work stress decreases as unemployment rises, and people more often take the time to take care of themselves”, prof. Christophe Vanroelen comments in De Standaard on September 29th. The news article (subscribers only) appeared on the occasion of the final SOPHIE event, organised by a consortium of researchers from 9 countries looking at the impact of social and economic policies on health.