A total of 4,135 Israel residents of Israel aged 21 and over were interviewed by telephone.
Israeli adults of all ages do not get a very good report card from the Health Ministry in its fourth national health survey released on Tuesday.
The survey, published by the ministry’s National Center for Disease Control and based on data collected between 2018 and 2020, is compiled to help the authorities formulate appropriate health policies for the population.
A total of 4,135 Israel residents of Israel aged 21 and over were interviewed by telephone, of which 2,710 were Jews and others (Christians who are not Arabs and those for whom no religion is defined) and 1,425 Arabs. The respondents were divided equally between men and women.
About two-thirds of Israelis fail to exercise as recommended by experts, and more than half admitted that they are overweight or obese. The rate of overweight and obesity in Israel is high compared to many other Western countries around the world. Only 29.8% of the Jews and 26.3% of the Arabs complied with the recommendations, which are to engage in aerobic physical activity at medium intensity for at least 150 cumulative minutes per week or 75 minutes per week at high intensity.
In addition, one should strengthen the body muscles at least twice a week.
It is estimated that lack of physical activity is the main cause of about 23% of breast and colon cancer cases, about 27% of diabetes cases, and about 30% of coronary heart disease cases.
Overweightness vs. Obesity
Overweight and obesity are measured according to the body mass index (BMI) index (body weight divided by the square of the height in meters).
Overweight is defined when the BMI index is between 25 and 29.99, while obesity is defined by a BMI equal to or higher than 30. According to the survey, 56% of the general population are overweight and obese.
This rate is higher among Arabs (61.3%) compared to Jews (54.8%). Arab men presented the highest rate (65.9%) of obesity and overweight.
In addition, an adapted program was created to treat obesity in the Arab society, and dietitians were sent to well-baby (tipat halav) clinics in the Arab sector that provide training to parents to raise awareness of a healthful lifestyle.
To reduce overweight and obesity, the ministry expanded its Efsharibari (“It is possible to be healthy”) program to encourage a healthful lifestyle and led many moves including the labeling of harmful foods, taxing sugary drinks, promoting the new food pyramid and more.
Detecting cancer
In addition, during the year before the survey, only two out of five men and women aged 50 to 74 years underwent occult blood tests in their health fund to detect colon cancer. According to the survey, only 38% of Arabs in this age group tested themselves compared to 52% of the Jews.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Israel. The origin of most tumors is a benign polyp that turns malignant. Early detection of the disease significantly improves the chances of recovery and survival, so occult blood tests are very important.
According to ministry data, some 27,000 Israelis are diagnosed with invasive cancer of all kinds every year. Every year about 12,000 people die from cancer, and since 1999, cancer surpassed heart disease as the number-one cause of death in the population.
One in five Israelis smoke, and the rate among Arabs was higher – (24.4%) compared to Jews (19.1%). The highest rate of smoking is among Arab men (38.2%), 1.7 times compared to Jewish men (22.6%). The ministry said that since it regards smoking cessation as very important, in recent years it expanded tobacco regulations to include electronic cigarettes, banned advertisements in the electronic media and restricted the marketing of tobacco and smoking products. It also expanded the restrictions on smoking in public places and carried out publicity campaigns to raise public awareness of the harms of active and passive smoking.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance and benefits of telemedicine services, which may in the future bring about a change for the better in the quality and accessibility of health services provided to the insured under the increased efficiency and lower costs for the health system.
The use of remote medicine services was found to be higher among Jews compared to Arabs, with 69.1% of the Jews who were surveyed and 44.5% of the Arab interviewees using the Internet to make an appointment (for a doctor or for an examination). The data are also similar in online requests to renew prescriptions for regular medications (39% Jews and 19.2% Arabs) and referrals to services in hospitals and other institutions.
These data complement the broader picture beyond the data presented on the level of service in the health system and online health services for the years 2018-2020 conducted by the ministry and Jerusalem’s Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
Fully 66% of the health insurance policyholders used the Internet to view their personal information, 55% of them made an inquiry through the website or app and 44% conducted a phone visit via video or chat with professionals. The ministry said it encourages the expansion of telemedicine services and calls for studies to examine and evaluate the usefulness of these services.
“The survey’s goals are to provide information on the health status of the adult population in Israel as a basis for setting policy, identifying trends and optimizing the allocation of resources in the fields of health,” said Prof. Lital Keinan-Boker, director of the National Center for Disease Control. “It also presents an estimate of the prevalence of self-reported diseases and chronic conditions and helps us evaluate the use of health services and examine healthful behavior patterns.”
“The survey’s goals are to provide information on the health status of the adult population in Israel as a basis for setting policy, identifying trends and optimizing the allocation of resources in the fields of health.”
Prof. Lital Keinan-Boker