A comparison of perceived health, attitudes to work, leisure time,
and social welfare systems among people in a rural area in the north of Sweden
and among people in the city of Stockholm
Affiliations: Centre for Studies on National Social Insurance,
Department of Health Sciences, Mid-Sweden University, Östersund,
Sweden | Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of
Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden | Family Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge,
Sweden | Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, Mid-Sweden
University, Sundsvall, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Sven-Uno Marnetoft, Department of
Health Siences, Mid Sweden University, SE-831 25 Östersund, Sweden. Tel.:
+4663165748; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: A problem attracting considerable attention in Sweden today is the
substantial regional differences in sickness absence. The aim of the study was
to investigate and compare how people, from a random sample of the population
in both a rural area in the north of Sweden and the Swedish capital Stockholm,
perceive their health, and what their attitudes are to work, leisure time and
social welfare systems. Results showed that a larger proportion of those
answering in Stockholm considered their health status to be "very good",
compared with those in the rural area (p<0.0001). A
majority in the rural area compared to the city of Stockholm reported a high or
very high level of aches/pain (p<0.0001) and that work
causes them physical problems p<0.0001). The population in
both Stockholm and the rural area is of the opinion that the increase in
sickness absence is mainly due to deterioration in the work environment. Almost
half of the individuals in both the rural area and in Stockholm are of the
opinion that many of those sick-listed are not actually ill. It may be that in
the rural area in north Sweden people are more inclined to put their opinions
to practice than those in Stockholm are.
