Most Portuguese misperceive their own behaviors and lifestyles, namely regarding their diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption, which they believe are healthier than they really are.

According to a study by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and CINTESIS – Center for Health Technologies and Services Research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, most Portuguese have informed opinions about behaviors and lifestyles, but tend to overestimate their own attitudes on the matter.

“Portuguese know that a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and good quality sleep can prevent some diseases and that tobacco and illicit drug use, excessive screen time, excessive stress, and being sedentary can cause or aggravate some diseases. What fails is the way each person perceives his or her own lifestyle, that is, his or her self-diagnosis”, explains Rosália Páscoa (FMUP/CINTESIS), the main author of this work.

The team assessed the perspectives of Portuguese people aged 20 years old or older in relation to their lifestyles and the approach of family doctors. A representative sample of the Portuguese population was analyzed using face-to-face questionnaires conducted between January and April 2019. The participants were aged from 23 to 85 years old and 55% were women.

The study “Patients’ Perspectives about Lifestyle Behaviors and Health in the Context of Family Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal” indicates a significant discrepancy between self-diagnosis and practice, starting with eating. Although 87% of people consider that they have healthy eating habits, only 14% “pass the test”. This means that 61.7% of Portuguese do not eat healthily, but are convinced that they do.

Many Portuguese are also wrong about their own weight. Only 2.1% say they are obese, when, in fact, 13.4% meet the defined obesity criteria, and only 15.6% think they are overweight when this percentage is 40.2%.

The disparities between self-assessment and reality are repeated when it comes to physical activity: 48.8% of the Portuguese say they practice physical activity regularly, but if we follow the recommendations, this only happens in 28.9% of the cases.

On the other hand, 92.2% of the Portuguese think that they do not have excessive alcohol consumption, but the results of the study show that 27.9% abuse alcohol.

The researchers also concluded that most Portuguese consider help from family doctors important in the adoption of healthier behaviors and lifestyles. However, the percentage of people who say they have this support in practice is significantly lower.

“Lifestyle counseling is time-consuming for GPs and has become more difficult in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be of utmost importance that policymakers could create conditions to make these interventions feasible and a priority,” they consider.

The authors of the study also believe that it is essential to train doctors, particularly in general practice, so that they can increasingly act as promoters and facilitators of lifestyle changes.

Besides Rosália Páscoa (FMUP/CINTESIS), also Micaela Gregório, from FMUP, Rosa Carvalho (#H4A Primary HealthCare Research Network), Andreia Teixeira, and Carlos Martins (FMUP/CINTESIS) participated in this study.