The 2008 Financial Crisis and Changes in Lifestyle-Related Behaviors in Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal have all been strongly affected by the 2008 financial crisis, which has had a negative impact on health. We systematically evaluated the effects of the crisis on lifestyle and socioeconomic inequalities. We conducted a literature search using MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and health economics databases for studies reporting quantitative comparisons before and after (or during) the crisis on the following risk behaviors: alcohol consumption, smoking habit, healthy diet, physical activity, and psychotropic drugs and substance abuse, without setting any age restrictions. We selected 34 original articles published between 2011 and 2020. During/after the crisis, alcohol consumption and substance abuse decreased, while psychotropic drug use increased. We also observed a deterioration in healthy eating behavior, with a reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption. Smoking habit and physical activity showed a more complex, controversial trend. Socioeconomic inequalities were affected by the recession, and the negative effects on unhealthy lifestyle tended to be more pronounced among the disadvantaged. These results suggest the need to implement health policies and interventions aimed at monitoring risk behaviors, with special regard to disadvantaged people, and considering the potential additional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption patterns of psychotropic drugs and predictors of limited access to medication

“…This result is in accordance with a systematic review published in 2021 and reporting several lifestyle modifications following the pandemic including a decrease in alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. 34 However, physical activity increased in contrast with the findings of a systematic review that was published recently and reported an increase in sedentary behaviors during the pandemic. 35 Significantly more patients had a history of cancer before the pandemic which can be related to the postponement of the screening and diagnostic tools for the different types of cancer during the pandemic, 36 and as a result, a decrease in the reported cases.…”

A review of the impact of social disruptions on food security and food choice

“…As such, there tends to be an increase in consumption of some products while others diminish in consumption. Some consumers will tend to buy more products which are perceived to be cheaper and necessary in an economic recession with the consumption of products such as meat (Sane Schepisi et al, 2021 ) and fish (Alves & Perelman, 2019 ), which are seen to decline due to their higher prices. Meat and fish offer a higher protein content, which is also of high biological value meaning they have a higher anabolic effect, bioavailability, and digestibility compared to proteins that are obtained from plant sources.…”

Global hidden factors predicting financial distress in Gulf Arab states: a quantile–time–frequency analysis

“…trade and financial flows and energy). The global financial crisis (2007–2009), the European sovereign debt crisis (2011–2013) and the COVID-19 crisis, in particular, impacted a large number of countries and had systemic consequences for the international financial system as a whole (Jun et al , 2022; Sane Schepisi et al , 2021, among others). In the wake of the recent political-economic liberalization, equity markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have received special attention from portfolio managers, policymakers and investors.…”