Survey: Rudeness, respect may affect your health

MANILA, Philippies — Rudeness may affect your health, warned a recent study meant to determine “the state of being healthy, happy and successful among Filipinos.”

The study by local health maintenance organization (HMO) PhilhealthCare Inc. (PhilCare) indicated that though Filipinos believe themselves to be in overall good health, they also put a premium on their psychological well-being, “the most important predictor of health and wellness,” said University of the Philippines professor Fernando Paragas, the study’s lead researcher.

“If that gets eroded, then our overall sense of well-being will negatively be affected,” he said, adding that many factors affect psychological health, including incivility and respect. “If people are rude and don’t respect you, one’s health is affected. There’s a domino effect,” he added.

For its 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index, the HMO asked 1,350 respondents age 18 to 90 from all over the country to rate their state of well-being on a 7-point scale—with 1 as “very good” and 7 as “very bad”—based on 18 wellness statements grouped under six factors: physical, psychological, nutritional, medical, lifestyle and financial.

‘Somewhat good’

The study found that on the average, respondents rated their overall well-being as “somewhat good” (2.84 on the 7-point scale), mostly because they are in a good psychological state, Paragas said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The respondents said their well-being was good, especially in relation to having a sense of purpose (“I lead a purposeful/meaningful life”) and being respected by others.

However, the study found that Filipinos’ medical financial wellness was ailing, with about 40 percent saying they were unsure if they can pay their medical bills, and 35 percent saying they were unsure if they can afford regular medical checkups.

The study also showed that 37 percent of respondents managed to pay their hospital bills using their savings, while 25 percent said they sought financial assistance from family and friends. Only 15 percent said they were able to use health insurance to cover expenses. Of respondents hospitalized last year, only 63 percent were able to avail themselves of their Philippine Health Insurance Corp. benefits (See related story on Page A6).

“The study tells us that public information on health care coverage is still lacking,” said Dr. Enrique Ona, former health secretary and chair of the 2019 PhilCare Wellness Index.