The report, which the Center for Epidemiology and Community Medicine is behind, shows how public health has developed over the past four years. Both average life expectancy and self-rated health have increased, but at the same time the report shows that the development of life expectancy was temporarily interrupted during the pandemic.
Health is linked to education
There are also clear differences in life expectancy and incidence of disease in the county between different groups, something that is linked to education and income. People with post-secondary education are expected to live 5.5 years longer than people who have not completed high school. The latter also have a 3.5 times higher risk of stroke and a 2.6 times higher risk of heart attack. But in Stockholm County, the general level of education is high and it has been increasing for a long time.
Smoking is decreasing – but e-cigs among young people are increasing
Smoking among residents has decreased from 18 percent in 2002 to six percent in 2021. However, the use of e-cigarettes among students in grade 9 has increased sharply – from five percent in 2021 to 20 percent in 2022. In addition, unhealthy eating habits seem to be increasing in the county. As an example, every second man neglects to eat fruit and every third woman neglects to eat vegetables every day.
Hear more about public health in the county in the video above.