Fatter but feeling good: Swiss think they're in best of health

Two famous Swiss mountains, the Eiger (L) (3970m) and the Moench (4099m), part of the Jungfrau mountain massif are seen from near Thun, Bernese Oberland, September 2007. Switzerland's fabled mountain air may be healthier than anyone thought: nine out of ten people say they feel on top form even as obesity is on the rise, new statistics showed

　　Switzerland's fabled mountain air may be healthier than anyone thought: nine out of ten people say they feel on top form even as obesity is on the rise, new statistics showed Friday.

　　"The majority of the Swiss population thinks it is in good health. 87 percent of people asked said they felt in good or very good health. Only 7 percent said they had a severe health problem six months ago," the Federal Statistics Office said in a statement after a survey of some 19,000 citizens.

　　But appearances can be (self)-deceptive, as the survey in fact found that more and more Swiss people drink, smoke and are overweight.

　　Just under a third of all people surveyed were smokers (28 percent), with the percentage rising for both young men and women aged 15-24 -- 37 percent and 31 percent respectively.

　　When it comes to alcohol, 38 percent of all men and 29 percent of women described themselves as "occasional drinkers" who had a glass one or two times a week.

　　And just like the rest of Europe, the number of overweight people has been on the rise, with more than half (52 percent) of people in the 65-74 age group having a body mass index of more than 25 kilograms/square metres.

　　One silver lining though is a decline in passive smoking after various cantons such as Geneva and Ticino introduced bans on smoking in public places. So if nothing else, the Swiss mountain air will be a little bit clearer after all.

　　Switzerland is one of the longest-lived countries in the world, with an average age of  84, according to WHO statistics.

　　Zurich, the norheaster city of  Switzerland  was named as the best place to live in the world, a previous study by the Mercer consultant firm showed.

　　(Agencies)

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