New Israeli report reveals increase in obesity, depression, smoking after 1 year of war

Israeli society remains deeply affected by the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists one year ago. The ongoing war with Iranian terrorist proxies Hamas in Gaza and the escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon has taken its toll on the physical and mental health of many Israeli citizens.

A new study from Israel’s National Institute for Health Policy Research showed a 6% increase in the use of antidepressants compared to 2022. The rise of cases of depression was especially pronounced in northern Israel, which has been under attack by Hezbollah forces for a year. The terrorist group has fired over 9,000 rockets, missiles and explosive drones into northern Israeli communities, causing 60,000 to evacuate their homes and relocate further south to find temporary accommodations, in some cases, hotel rooms.

Obesity has also become a growing problem in Israel, according to the report. Nearly 27% of Israeli females aged 20 to 64 were considered obese across the nation before the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. However, that number has increased to 33.5% in Israel’s Gaza border communities, according to the report. This region in the western Negev was the epicenter of the Hamas attack. By contrast, only 17% of the population in the Tel Aviv region suffer from obesity. In general, adolescent obesity is on the rise in Israeli society.

The health report also noted a rise in smoking in Israeli society as a result of the pressures and stress caused by the war. More than one in five Israelis (21.1%) aged 16 to 74 are smokers. Israeli men are two and a half times more likely to smoke than women.

On the positive side, the report revealed improvement in health indicators, such as cervical cancer screenings and management of LDL cholesterol.

Professor Nachman Ash who heads the National Institute for Health Policy Research, also warned that domestic violence has deteriorated in Israeli society. Ash stressed that the worse physical and mental health indicators are more prevalent among lower-income groups than socioeconomically stronger communities. The report concluded that national and local authorities in Israel invest more resources in addressing the growing physical health challenges and needs in Israeli society.

Israeli Health Ministry Dir.-Gen. Moshe Bar Siman Tov confirmed in November “a significant increase” in the demand for mental health services after the Hamas massacre.

In November of last year, a report warned that the Israeli mental health sector had been understaffed and underfunded for years before the Oct. 7 attack.

“Even before the outbreak of war, the public mental health system was significantly deficient, which was visible through, among other things, repeated claims of a significantly lacking budget, a lack of personnel, long waiting times for psychotherapeutic or psychiatric treatment, and poor infrastructure in mental health hospitals,” the report noted.

In January, psychiatry experts raised alarms that Oct. 7 triggered the most severe mental trauma in the history of the State of Israel.

Edan Kleiman who heads the IDF’s Disabled Veterans Organization, warned potentially up to 20,000 IDF soldiers would eventually need some mental or physical health assistance.