A new survey reveals that nearly 40% of European workers are at a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health, with factors such as gender, age, and socio-economic status contributing to mental well-being.
TELUS Health, a health services and technologies provider, released its annual mental health index, which assessed the mental health of workers in six European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands. In each country, 500 workers were surveyed, with those scoring below 80 classified as high-risk. The findings show significant variation in mental health risks by country, with Spain leading at 48% of workers classified as high-risk, followed by Poland (45%) and Italy (43%). In contrast, the Netherlands reported the lowest percentage, with only 24% of workers at high risk for mental health issues.
The survey also found that workers who engage in regular physical activity tend to have better mental health scores. However, more than one in 10 workers reported not participating in any physical activity, leading to a loss of nearly three additional workdays per year and almost 10 points lower mental health scores. Furthermore, sitting or being inactive for more than six hours a day was associated with poorer mental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week or 1.3 to 2.5 hours of more intense physical activity.
Additionally, workers without emergency savings were found to be three times more likely to experience anxiety or depression. Workers without emergency savings had a mental health score of around 42, compared to the overall average score of 62.
