Public health: An overview: Health in Sweden: The National Public Health Report 2012. Chapter 1

Abstract

Average life expectancy for Swedish men among the highest in the world Average life expectancy is one of the most widely used measures of the health of a population. It is often used to compare health status across countries. In 2011, the average life expectancy of women in Sweden was 83.7 years and that of men was 79.8. By international standards, average life expectancy in Sweden is high, as shown in Table I, which lists the ten countries with the highest average life expectancy for women and men in 2007. In particular, men in Sweden live longer than men in almost every other country; only men in Switzerland, Iceland, Japan and Australia had a higher average life expectancy. Swedish women only share ninth and tenth place with Canadian women. Average life expectancy among women is higher than in Sweden in a number of countries in southern Europe, as well as in Japan, Australia, and Finland. Swedish women thus rank lower than Swedish men in international comparisons. As Table II shows, mortality is higher in Sweden than in several other European countries in the table, particularly for women aged 60-74. However, the mortality rate among younger women in Sweden is among the lowest. One important reason is that Swedish women who are now middle-aged or elderly smoked to a greater extent than women in most other countries. This is because smoking among women became common relatively early on in Sweden. Swedish women today smoke to about the same extent as women in most other European countries, while men smoke significantly less than the European average. The proportion of female smokers in Sweden is now declining, while smoking has become more widespread among women in other European countries. In the coming years, therefore, average life expectancy among Swedish women may increase more than that of women in many other European countries.

A life‐course perspective on economic stress and tobacco smoking: a population‐based study

“…However, snus consumption is, to a very high extent, confined to the male part of the population, and the results of our analyses concerning economic stress in childhood and adulthood are similar for men and women [1].…”

“…Socioeconomic differences in tobacco smoking prevalence have increased as a result of the declining prevalence; the decline of the previously somewhat similar prevalence across socio-economic status (SES) groups has been much more pronounced in higher than in lower SES groups in recent decades [1,2]. Socio-economic differences in tobacco smoking are thus an increasingly important health policy issue [3].…”

Live long and propser : Health-promoting conditions at work

“…It is well known that work conditions such as demands, control over work, support and justice are associated with adverse health outcomes such as depression and exhaustion (Van der Doef & Maes, 1999;de Lange, Taris, Kompier, Houtman & Bongers, 2003;Belkic, Landsbergis, Schnall, & Baker, 2004;Häusser, Mojzisch, Niesel, & Schulz-Hardt, 2010;Magnusson Hansson, Theorell, Oxenstierna Hyde & Westerlund, 2008;Theorell, Hammarström, Gustafsson, Magnusson Hansson, Janlert & Westerlund, 2012;SBU, 2014). Since the beginning of the 1980s, growing numbers of individuals have reported a higher work pace (Försäkringskassan, 2014) and that their work is more and more mentally taxing (Danielsson et al, 2012;SOU, 2015). One explanation for the changes in work conditions is the changing organisation of work (Kompier, 2006;Danielsson et al, 2012).…”

“…Since the beginning of the 1980s, growing numbers of individuals have reported a higher work pace (Försäkringskassan, 2014) and that their work is more and more mentally taxing (Danielsson et al, 2012;SOU, 2015). One explanation for the changes in work conditions is the changing organisation of work (Kompier, 2006;Danielsson et al, 2012). In Sweden, implementations of lean production and similar systems that aim to improve performance and efficiency are common in virtually all sectors (Johansson & Abrahamsson, 2009;Härenstam et al, 2004;Poksinska, 2010;Poksinska, Pettersen, Elg, Eklund & Witell, 2010).…”

“…Today, common mental disorders such as depression and exhaustion are the dominating causes for sickness absence in Sweden, and the rates have increased during recent decades (Försäkringskassan, 2014;Danielsson, Heimerson, Lundberg, Perski, Stefansson & Åkerstedt, 2012;SBU, 2014). This can in part be explained by a more and more intensive working life and changes in psychosocial work conditions (Lidwall, Bergendorff, Voss & Marklund, 2009).…”