Sardinians have few children. And it is still a negative Italian record. They smoke too much and use antidepressants more than in the rest of Italy. This is confirmed by the latest Osservasalute report from the Catholic University.
On the island, the total fertility rate, in 2021, is equal to 0.99 children per woman (national value 1.25), lower than the replacement level (2.1 children per woman) which would guarantee generational turnover.
However, the latest data is encouraging: in 2021 there was an increase of +2.1% compared to 2020 (+0.8% in Italy). Sardinians above the national average also for the consumption of antidepressants: 48.2 daily doses for every thousand inhabitants against 44.6 recorded in the rest of the country. And for the consumption of cigarettes among the population aged 14 and over: 20.4% compared to 19% nationally. In the last year, then, there has been a more marked increase than the national increase: 7.9% against 2.2%).
On the other hand, the Sardinians keep their figure: they don't overeat at the table and when they can they play football, padel, basketball or go to the gym. The share of overweight people in 2021 was 33.9% (national value 34.2%) and also for obesity there are values below the Italian ones: 10 percent, two points below the national average.
Of all the regions, Sardinia is, after Bolzano and Trento and like Liguria, the one with the lowest prevalence of obese people aged 18 and over. On the other hand, compared to the rest of the country, flu vaccination coverage in the over 65-year-old population is not widespread. In the 2021-2022 season, the use of injections that prevent coughs, sneezes and fever is 41.2% (national value 58.1%), a negative record.
As for the estimated life expectancy at birth, in 2022 on the island it is equal to 79.6 years for men and 84.8 years for women , while the value of public health expenditure per capita, in 2021, is equal to 2,240 euro, higher than the national value of 2,149 euro.
