The Korea Herald

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‘7 out of 10 Seoul citizens suffer from stress’

By Korea Herald

Published : Feb. 15, 2013 - 21:25

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Seven out of every 10 Seoul citizens experience stress at work, school and in their domestic lives, a report showed Friday.

In a survey conducted by the Seoul city government on Seoul citizens aged over 13 in May last year, more than 72 percent of respondents said they had been stressed for the past two weeks. Almost 13 percent said the level of stress was extreme.

There were more women who were under stress than men. Work topped the list of the environmental causes of stress with 77.6 percent, followed by school with 56.6 percent and family life with 50.3 percent, respectively.

The report also showed that the number of cancer-related deaths in Seoul grew more than 20 percent in the last 10 years.

The number of cancer-related deaths in every 100,000 people in 2011 was 119.6, up from 98 in 2001. Lung cancer killed 24.5 out of every 100,000 people, more than other types of cancers such as liver cancer with 17.4 and stomach cancer with 15.3.

Cerebral vascular diseases and heart problems have claimed 35.6 and 31.2 lives out of 100,000 people, respectively, in the same year.

The report also revealed that more citizens demand support from the government and society to take care of the elderly, indicating a change in the traditional value that stressed families’ responsibility over the welfare of seniors.

Some 54 percent of respondents said not only family members but also the government and society have to be responsible for the welfare of seniors, up from 22 percent in 2001.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)