Health is an issue that increasingly worries a greater number of people. Due to this, the percentage of the population that invests part of their salary in the field of fitness to take better care of themselves is growing. For example, Spain is the fourth country in Europe in terms of people enrolled in a gym. This means that Spaniards are investing more and more in taking care of their health . Unfortunately, the number of obese children and adolescents is also increasing.
In this sense, a survey has been carried out to try to break down how much Spaniards spend on taking care of their health and well-being by Autonomous Communities. Possibly, the data will surprise you. We will also show you why it is important to us as a community to spend money on taking better care of ourselves.
How much do Spaniards spend to take care of themselves?
To try to find out how much Spaniards spend on taking care of their health, a survey was conducted among 1,350 Spanish adults (73% men and 27% women). According to it, on average, a Spaniard spends about € 218 per month on personal care if we take into account factors such as subscription to the gym, sportswear and supplements, among others.
More specifically, in the section where Spaniards spend the most is on sports supplementation (an average of € 30,000 over a lifetime); while where they spend the least is on products suitable for vegans (an average of € 4,300 over a lifetime, much lower).
If we break it down by Autonomous Communities, La Rioja stands out, where they spend around € 330 per month; while Extremadura would be in the lowest place, with € 183. However, it must be taken into account that the economic level between the different Communities is not the same. For example, La Rioja exceeded the national GDP per capita by 3.8% in 2017, while Extremadura was 31.7% below, which may explain these differences.
Apart from these data, we can extract other interesting ones.
1. Spending on personal trainers
The inhabitants of the Basque Country spend an average of € 45 per month on the advice of a personal trainer. However, it must be taken into account that their GDP exceeds the national average by 32.7%, so they also have a higher income on average to afford it. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the Canary Islands spend an average of € 30 per month on this service.
2. Expenditure on supplements
In La Rioja they spend an average of € 64 per month in contrast to Galicia, which spend about € 28 per month. La Rioja is also the community in which its inhabitants spend the most on protein shakes: € 44 per month, although they are somewhat far from those in Catalonia, since 44% of them spend at least € 100 on this type of product.
3. Nutritional help
82% of the inhabitants of Madrid spend at least € 20 a month on advice to eat better, which shows that they care a lot about their diet. This is relevant since, although we currently have a large amount of information on the Internet to learn how to eat better, it is also necessary to have the opinion of qualified professionals.
4. Vegan products
It is estimated that Navarra is one of the regions where vegan products are most popular, since it is estimated that a Navarrese will spend up to € 8,900 throughout his life on this type of product. In addition, according to data from Google Trends, veganism is winning the game over vegetarianism based on what is observed in the searches of the last 5 years.
Which autonomous communities spend the most on health?
In this table it can be seen in which Spanish Autonomous Communities the most per capita invested in health :
| Average spending | Autonomous community |
|---|---|
| The Rioja | 11.1 |
| Canary Islands | 7.84 |
| Basque Country | 7.71 |
| Catalonia | 7.56 |
| Balearic Islands | 7.53 |
Why is it important to spend on health?
Health spending is relevant because it can result in saving resources in the health system, since the better your physical condition, the less pathologies you will have and the less use will be made of Health Institutions.
This is especially relevant since Spain is the second European country with the highest rate of obesity in its population (Barnett, 2017). In fact, it is estimated that 25% of the population suffers from this pathology, which in turn can lead to others. The most alarming thing is that this figure seems to be increasing since the eating habits of the general population are not yet as healthy as they should be.
To change, it is necessary, first of all, the commitment of the country's authorities to promote healthy habits among the population so that later each person, individually, has motivation and tools to try to improve their health. This would imply the regular practice of sports and the follow-up of a healthy diet.
conclusion
As you can see, it is true that Spaniards spend a lot of money to take care of their health , but it is no less true that the increase in the percentage of the obese population among the Spanish population is alarming. For this reason, it is necessary for government institutions to design advertising campaigns aimed at improving eating habits as well as promoting the daily practice of physical activity.
In the long term, this will have a positive impact since it will be possible to prevent different diseases, with the increase in the quality of life among people that this means.
References
- Barnett, R. Obesity. The Lancet . doi: 10.1016 / S0140-6736 (17) 30273-8
