Health insurance customers are reportedly being affected by stress as they try to cope with the recession.

Insurance company PruHealth conducted a survey which revealed that consumers are cutting down on exercise and healthy foods as they try to deal with the effects of the credit crunch. The results showed a 4% increase in the number of people who say they have unhealthy lifestyles, up to 18% from six months ago. Half of those questioned said they thought stress was affecting their lives, while 41% cited financial worries as they cause.

Dr David Grainger, a senior fellow of the University of Cambridge, remarked: “In just six months there has been a marked widening of the ‘health gap’ as lifestyle improvements evaporate. Replicated across the entire adult population of the UK, these findings suggest a staggering two million more people have an unhealthy lifestyle than six months ago. The most likely cause? Economic recession.”