@article {Chambers378, author = {R Chambers and J Belcher}, title = {Comparison of the health and lifestyle of general practitioners and teachers.}, volume = {43}, number = {374}, pages = {378--382}, year = {1993}, publisher = {Royal College of General Practitioners}, abstract = {A total of 704 general practitioners and 588 teachers responded to a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle in 1991 (response rates 82\% and 87\%, respectively). The results for lifestyle measures were compared with those of a similar questionnaire completed by about half of each group two years before--there were no changes in the answers of either occupational group in the intervening two years. In 1991, 9\% of general practitioners and 15\% of teachers drank 22 units of alcohol per week or more; 13\% of general practitioners and 23\% of teachers reported troublesome depression and 31\% of doctors and 37\% of teachers excessive anxiety in the preceding 12 months. Teachers had more sickness absence, and significantly more experienced a need for daily alcohol and binge eating, and reported sleep difficulties, depression and anxiety than general practitioners. Self-medication among general practitioners was common and overall accounted for 83\% of the medication taken by doctors. A follow-up survey of non-respondents found that only 11\% of general practitioners and 11\% of teachers indicated they had a health problem they wished to conceal or that they felt the questions were too intimate. General practitioners{\textquoteright} lifestyle habits are better than those of teachers and published figures for the general population. The frequency of reported mental health problems in both professions gives cause for concern.}, issn = {0960-1643}, URL = {https://bjgp.org/content/43/374/378}, eprint = {https://bjgp.org/content/43/374/378.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of General Practice} }