調查：年輕人身體更差 更愛請病假

Younger people are twice as likely to miss work through illness as their older colleagues, according to a new survey.

Under-30s are More likely to stay at home while suffering from colds and flu, Allergies and intolerances than over-55s, figures showed.

Younger people were also more likely to take time off work due to stress, tiredness and feeling run down, which the older contingent said would not be a reason to call in sick.

Almost one in five people aged 18 to 29 admitted they had missed work because they were "too hung-over", but 85 per cent of over-55s said they would only miss work if they were bedridden.

The higher rates of illness in younger people could be explained by the impact of unhealthy lifestyles, the survey of 3,000 people suggested.

Men and women aged 30 and under were more likely to eat junk food like ready meals and takeaways than older people, and were half as likely to eat the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables that experts recommend.

Older people also showed a more positive outlook towards their wellbeing, with 59 per cent believing they are healthier than their parents compared with just 37 per cent of the younger group.

A number of under-30s reported that they often fall ill as a result of stress, with work-related pressures, money issues and relationship problems among the most common causes.

In contrast, fewer than a quarter of over-55s who replied to the survey said they often felt unwell due to stress at work.

High levels of stress could cause symptoms including irritability, headaches, tiredness and upset stomachs, respondents said.

Peter Morton, the marketing manager of multivitamin manufacturer Multibionta, which commissioned the survey, said: “Today’s fast paced, work-hard play-hard lifestyle appears to be taking its toll on the younger generation.

“A poor immune system caused by smoking, drinking and a lack of nutritionally beneficial food, lends itself to people being more susceptible to coughs and colds which in turn can lead to sick days.”最新調查顯示，年輕人請病假的機率是年長同事的兩倍。

和55歲以上的受訪者相比，不到30歲的年輕人在患上感冒或流感、過敏及不耐症時更愛請假在家。

年輕人更可能因爲壓力、疲勞、或者感覺精疲力竭而請假，但年長的受訪者稱，這根本不能成爲請病假的理由。

在18歲至29歲的受訪者中，近1/5承認他們曾因“宿醉未醒”而耽誤上班，但在55歲以上的受訪者中，有85%認爲除非臥牀不起，否則他們不會請假。

這項針對三千人開展的調查表明，不健康的生活方式使年輕人更愛生病。

和年長的人相比，30歲及以下的年輕人更愛吃垃圾食品，比如速凍食品和外賣，而食用專家建議的每日五份水果蔬菜的意願只有年長人士的一半。

年長的人對自身健康狀況也更樂觀，有59%認爲自己比父母更健康，而持相同看法的年輕人僅有37%。

很多不到30歲的年輕人稱，經常由於壓力太大而生病，最常見的原因有工作壓力、金錢問題、感情問題。

相比之下，在55歲以上的受訪者中，僅有還不及1/4稱自己經常由於工作壓力太大而病倒。

受訪者稱，重壓會導致過敏、頭痛、疲倦、腹痛等症狀。

開展此項調查的複合維生素生產商Multibionta的市場經理彼得·摩頓說：“如今快節奏的生活，勤奮工作、盡情玩樂的生活態度似乎在讓年輕一代付出代價。”

“吸菸、飲酒、缺乏營養的食品所導致的免疫力下降會使人們更愛感冒咳嗽，而這又會導致人們請病假。”