Recession is Good for your Health
by Susan Davis on 07/04/09 at 11:25 am
Data collected during various research studies indicate that the current economic recession may be good for your health. It seems many people are taming their vices rather than drowning their sorrows – behavior that national researchers say is consistent with past economic downturns.
- According to a Nielsen Company report, nine percent of U.S. consumers have cut back on their smoking and 14 percent have cut back on their drinking, or purchased cheaper brands.
- The National Restaurant Association indicates that consumers were also eating out less in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. They were also drinking less when they dined out and chose to purchase more wine by the glass than by the bottle.
- Beer sales in restaurants and bars dropped about two percent in 2008, although cheaper brands of beer in retail stores rose about one percent. This was reported by the Beer Institute, a trade group representing brewers.
- Smoking, in general, is on the decline. About 20 percent of Americans smoked in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from about 23 percent in the last 10 years.
Although there has been contradictory information indicating some people are still indulging, sales and profit figures in these areas are on the decline. So the consensus is that having less discretionary income to spend on alcohol and cigarettes is a health benefit. Studies also show that individuals who are spending less on these items are starting to exercise, because they have more free time, as well as extra energy and stamina.
