A fifth of Israelis smoke, while a third of men and a quarter of women in Israel are overweight - according to a new report of the National Program for Quality Indicators for Community Medicine, which shows that in 2022 there was an increase in the rates of smoking and obesity, and especially in the obesity of children and teenagers.
Smoking stations are returning to Israel (archive)
Also, there was a decrease in compliance with performing tests for the early detection of breast and colon cancer, a decrease in vaccination against influenza and pneumonia, and a deepening of the health gap between patients of high versus low socioeconomic status.
These are just some of the findings that emerge from the data of the "Indicators Program", which measures the quality of care in the health insurance funds and summarizes the health data of the entire population in Israel for the year 2022.
Against the background of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's intention to partially return the taxation on sweet drinks, these figures stand out: almost 60% of the adult population in Israel aged 20-64 suffers from overweight and obesity.
26.5% of women and 23.2% of men in these ages suffer from obesity - and this is a continuous increase since 2019.
Israelis' health data,
When segmented by socio-economic class, a significant gap was found in the obesity rate of women from the lowest class (34%) compared to women from the highest class (18%).
Similar gaps were also found among men (26% versus 18.3%).
At the same time, in the patients' personal files there was a decrease in weight documentation - a necessary part of the measurement - and this is a trend that has continued since the corona epidemic and the transition to remote meetings.
An alarming figure that emerges from the report indicates a 20% increase in obesity rates among children and teenagers in 2022: while in 2019 6.9% of 7-year-olds were obese, in 2022 their rate rose to 8.5%.
Among the youth aged 14-15 there was also a consistent and continuous increase in the obesity rate - from 10.2% in 2017 to 12.8% in 2022.
The highest rate of obesity was recorded among boys (17.4%) and girls (12.4%) from the lowest socio-economic class - and vice versa: among boys and girls of the highest class the lowest rates of obesity were measured (9.1% and 8%).
Less sleeping pills
Against the background of a non-rigid policy in the field of the fight against smoking, it appears that the rate of smoking in Israel is at a peak of the last seven years: 21% of the population in Israel aged 16-74 smoke.
In 2017, the smoking rate among these ages was 18.9%.
Men from a low socioeconomic status smoke almost twice as much as men from a high status (35.4% versus 18.3%), but for women the trend is the opposite: women from a low socioeconomic status smoke less (7.6%) than women from a high status (13%).
Israeli health data, photo: Getty Images
Mammography screening for the early detection of breast cancer: compared to previous years, there was a slight decrease - 72% of women were screened in 2022.
The higher the socioeconomic status, the higher the test rates: 76.8% of the women from the highest class had a mammogram, compared to only 65.4% among the women from the lowest class.
Screening test for the early detection of colon cancer: 64% of the 50-74 year olds were tested, and here too men (70.2%) and women (68.8%) from the highest socioeconomic class led the way.
The lowest rate of this test was observed among men (56.1%) and women (60.9%) from the lowest class.
More than a third (35.8%) of those who received a positive result in a fecal occult blood test, did not proceed to a colonoscopy within three months to remove a tumor or rule out suspicion.
However, in performing a screening test for the early detection of cervical cancer, there was an increase in women's response to the test, from 52% in 2019 to 55% in 2022.
66.1% of the women from the higher socio-economic class performed the test, compared to 39.5% of the women from the lower class.
Influenza vaccination is on the decline, photo: no
Vaccination against influenza and pneumonia: the data shows a downward trend in 2022 - only 60.9% of those aged 65 and over were vaccinated against influenza, compared to about 70% of adults who were vaccinated in 2020. Here, too, a gap of about 20% was recorded in vaccination in favor of members of the socioeconomic class the higher
The use of drugs for sleep and relaxation (benzodiazepines) also dropped slightly to 4.6% (compared to 4.8% in 2018 and 5.3% in 2020 - rates attributed to stress during the Corona days).
A four times higher rate was recorded among those aged 85 and over (men 8.4% and women 11.9%) compared to those aged 65-69.
These drugs have the potential to develop dependence as well as a problem with balance.
Gaps in diabetes too
The report shows that there is a decrease in the use of appropriate medication for osteoporosis (bone thinning) among 65-85 year olds after a femoral neck fracture, from 32% in 2021 to 29.7% in 2022.
Here, too, there were disparities in taking the treatment, of 12%-6% to the detriment of women and men of low socio-economic status.
increase in smoking rates,
The HMO data on the treatment of diabetes shows that in 2022 there was a 0.4% increase in diabetes rates among people aged 18 and over, to 10.2% of diabetics.
The rate of diabetes in 2-17 year olds is 0.1%, and among them there has been an alarming decrease in the rate of diabetes control from 34% in 2018 to 25% in 2022.
There was a significant increase in the proportion of balanced diabetics from 70.8% in 2018 to 77% in 2022.
The highest rate of balance was among women (86.8%) and men (82.9%) from the highest socioeconomic class, while the lowest rate was observed among women (71.6%) and men (63.5%) from the lowest class.
Prof. Nachman Ash, chairman of the National Institute for Health Policy: "The findings reveal growing gaps in health between the low and the high socioeconomic status." Most worrying are the gaps among the youth. Health Care System.
A national health law is based on principles of justice, equality and mutual aid, and therefore it is the duty of the State of Israel to invest in health in the socio-economic periphery, and to work to eradicate the gaps by establishing measurement mechanisms and goals on the subject."
Prof. Nachman Ash.
"The gaps will deepen",
In the coming year, the national plan will deal with indicators related to the war, including consumption of sleep and sedative drugs, mental health issues, depression, and more.
Prof. Ronit Calderon-Margalit from the Hadassah School of Public Health and the Hebrew University, who heads the administration of the program: "In 2022 we can see a significant increase in obesity rates in all age groups, and it should be estimated that this will continue in 2023-2024 as well following the war."
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