According to a study by the National School of Public Health, one in two Greeks has difficulty purchasing necessary medication, while one in three takes medication less frequently in order to make it last longer.
The National School of Public Health presented its study on medication and habits in Greece at a conference regarding mass media and public health warnings. The study investigated the opinion of people about mass media in relation to public health threats in Greece.
- The study showed that 55.7% worry about being able to afford their medication, while 28.4% takes medication less often in order to make it last longer, due to financial difficulties.
- The study revealed that 91.7% of respondents feared lack of justice, 84.4% unemployment, 83.6% poverty, 82.6% crime and 81.4% feared the prospect of disease.
- A 60% of respondents explained that the financial crisis has had an impact on their health, with 56.9% claiming to have mental health issues and 52.6% stating that their interpersonal relations have suffered.
About 8 out of 10 (70.7%) of respondents reported that they were “up to date” with health issues. 76% get their information from their physician, 53.5% from their pharmacist, 58.8% from the Internet, 25.4% from social media networks and 24% from newspapers. About 8 out of 10 (84.6%) of respondents also claimed to be satisfied with the information they get from their physician, 69.2% from their pharmacist, 54.4% from the Internet and 34.2% from the newspapers.
