Cost of Living Main Barrier To Staying Healthy

Monday, 6 February 2023 08:00

The rising cost of living is one of the biggest barriers to islanders staying healthy.

That's according to the annual Public Health report by Director of Public Health, Professor Peter Bradley.

People were asked three questions as part of the research, which were:

What are the things that help you stay healthy?
What things have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing?
How can the government help you improve your health and wellbeing.

The safety of the island and a good 'work life balance' are some of the main things that keep the island healthy.

However, the rising cost of living, news and social media and 'poor quality public services' are having the biggest impact on people's health and wellbeing.

Jersey's inflation rate currently sits at a record 12.7%.

Respondents want to see lower taxes and GST removed from food and other necessities to help ease the pressure on their wallets.

They also want to see cheaper sporting facilities such as gyms, to help keep fit.

Better health, dental and mental health services were also flagged in the report.

The answers will help shape the Public Health Strategy, which is due to be released in Spring of this year.

“The importance of hearing from Islanders is engrained within the role of the Director of Public Health; it allows us to understand from the people themselves which issues they feel most affect their lives. Having the evidence of what people need to support their health and wellbeing allows us to effectively engage with communities to address these issues. This is why the results of this event are so important and why we have decided to focus on them within this, our first, annual report." - Professor Peter Bradley.

You can read the full report here.