56% say they are struggling to get by

MORE than half of the Irish population is now finding it much harder to make ends meet, a study on the health of the nation has found.

It also found that more than two out of five Irish homes have been hit severely by the current recession.

The 2010 Pfizer Health Index, now in its fifth year, found 13% of adults reported losing their job, compared with 7% in 2009.

A further 13% indicated that their hours had been reduced

The recession has also had an impact on the purchasing power of adults, with reduced salaries experienced by 21%, up 5% from last year, or a growth rate of almost a third, year on year.

Some 56% of respondents said they were finding it much harder to make ends meet, up from 48% last year. And one in five adults admitted experiencing difficulties in making loan or mortgage repayments, up 2% on 2009.

Seven out of 10 adults are now spending less on luxuries and almost the same number are avoiding making big purchases.

It also reveals those on lower incomes are suffering more, with two-thirds finding it harder to make ends meet, compared with less than half of those on higher incomes.

Half of those questioned said they were doing their grocery shopping in cheaper outlets while almost 60% said they were going out less. More than a third said they were not booking any holidays.

Only 13% said the recession had had no impact on their lifestyle.

The study also sees the emergence of a large group of people who can neither afford private medical insurance nor are they eligible for a medical card.

It shows 44% of those surveyed have private health insurance and 36% have a medial card, leaving 25% of the population without any health cover.

It found that 50% of people in low income groups suffer from a health condition compared with over a third of those who are financially better off.

People from lower income groups are two and a half times more likely to suffer from arthritis, twice as likely to suffer from heart disease and three times as likely to have depression.

Associate director of the Institute of Public Health, Prof Kevin Balanda, warned health inequalities between the social groups was likely to increase in the future, if action was not taken.

“There is a moral imperative to protect those who are most disadvantaged,” he said.