[Health and life satisfaction in north-east German rural communities in 1973, 1994 and 2004/08]

Abstract

The development of the perceived state of health, the lifetime prevalence of chronic heart disease, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and the life satisfaction of residents in rural communities in north-eastern Germany were analysed over the years 1973, 1994 and 2004/08 with reference to age and sex, and evaluated in comparison with nationally representative data. The analyses are based on data of surveys of the adult residential population of 14 rural communities in north-eastern Germany carried out in 1973 (N=3,603), 1994 (N=2,155) and 2004/08 (N=1,246). While there was an increase over time in the proportion of the population who assessed their health status as very good or good, the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus also rose successively. Life satisfaction was lower in 2004/08 than in 1994 in terms of almost all factors. A comparison with the results of nationally representative surveys shows that the illness burden of the population in the region we investigated was higher than average, while the perceived health status was considerably below average, as was the satisfaction with the work situation and the financial situation in particular. The development of health and illness parameters in accordance with the general trend is assessed as an expression of the modernisation of the working and living conditions in the region over this period, whereas the observed differences in levels are interpreted as a consequence of the rural nature of the region and peripherisation.