Was the economic crisis of 2008 good for Icelanders? Impact on health behaviors

Impact of the financial crisis on COPD burden: Greece as a case study

“…Smokers may be citing an increase in perceived stress to justify their relapse or failure to quit, and they are unable to quit their ongoing behaviour because of the offsetting increase in stress, thus falling into a vicious circle [74][75][76][77][78][79]. However, other studies have reported that economic recession is associated with a decline in the prevalence of cigarette smoking [1] and that a crisis may be health promoting [68,[80][81][82]. The effects on smoking behaviour appear to be largely influenced by price increases [1].…”

“…The effects on smoking behaviour appear to be largely influenced by price increases [1]. Reduced disposable income has been the main driver of this decline potentially leading to a significant long-term health gain [1], as it has transformed cigarettes into luxury goods [1,81]. Additional research in that direction actually characterises cigarette smoking as a cause of stress and, furthermore, smoking cessation as a valuable way to break the stress cycle [80][81][82][83].…”

“…Reduced disposable income has been the main driver of this decline potentially leading to a significant long-term health gain [1], as it has transformed cigarettes into luxury goods [1,81]. Additional research in that direction actually characterises cigarette smoking as a cause of stress and, furthermore, smoking cessation as a valuable way to break the stress cycle [80][81][82][83]. Finally, a former smoker who experiences a drop in income may be less tempted to start smoking again because of the reduced affordability of cigarettes [84,85].…”

Which group of smokers is more vulnerable to the economic crisis?

“…[7][8][9][10][11][12] On the other hand, some of the most recent studies based on ex-post analysis of smoking behaviour after the 2008 financial crisis reported a null or even a counter-cyclical relationship (the crisis increased tobacco smoking), possibly explained by an increased psychological stress in selected vulnerable populations. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In the UK, for instance, the attempt rates for smoking cessation steadily declined after the onset of the economic crisis.…”

Public health in times of austerity

“…In Iceland, there ensued almost no rise in suicides or depression. 10,11,12 Mental health Another indicator of interest that has been studied is mental health; 13 most studies concern the working population. Research in the US shows job insecurity to be associated with worse mental and physical health population outcomes.…”