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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Services, Public Health, Society

PruHealth, The Health Insurance Company That Rewards Policyholders For Being Healthy, Found That People Expected Their January Health Kicks To Last For, On Average, 123 Days.

Research conducted by PruHealth, the private health insurance company that rewards policyholders for being healthy, found that people expected their January health kicks to last for, on average, 123 days. This therefore means that Monday 4 May was the day most people fell off the health wagon.-private health insurance company

Whether it’s down to stronger willpower, more pressure to have celebrity bodies, or simply cutting back on calorific treats in the credit crunch, the average Brit’s New Year health kick has lasted 45 days longer this year than in 2008, with dieters sticking to their diet and fitness regimes for over four months in 2009.*

Of those still sticking to their diets, the vast majority of dieters (55%)** plan to keep up their new healthy lifestyle forever, suggesting that ‘quick-fix’ fad diets such as Beyonce’s maple syrup diet are well and truly out of fashion.

Nearly two-thirds of Brits (61%) planned to embark on a new diet or fitness regime at the start of the year. PruHealth, private medical insurance company, also found that nearly half (48%) of these dieters saw it as an ongoing, permanent lifestyle change rather than an attempt to quickly lose those extra pounds.

However, by the end of April, 30% of dieters had already abandoned their diets, with over a quarter (26%) of people caving in after less than a month on the salads and gym classes.

When it comes to sticking to resolutions, resisting the lure of sugary snacks is the biggest challenge for sweet-toothed dieters, with 22% rating this as the hardest hurdle to overcome. A further 10% admitted giving up alcohol was their biggest health regime challenge.

Katie Roswell, Marketing Director, PruHealth, said: “The nation appears to be taking a step in the right direction and maintaining a healthy lifestyle on an ongoing basis, rather than opting for more dangerous crash diet or exercise plans. The key is finding a routine that incorporates a nutritionally balanced diet and regular exercise into your lifestyle, and not completely denying yourself the occasional treat for doing well, as this can help keep up the motivation.”

Worryingly, for 21% of dieters this year it took the shock of a health scare to inspire them to take action and embark on a new, healthier lifestyle. But messages about the health of the nation appear to be hitting home, as the majority of dieters (54%) simply wanted to follow a healthier lifestyle.

The information here is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk.

Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.
* Opinium Research online poll of 2,233 British adults carried out 23rd – 30th December 2008.
** Opinium Research online poll of 2,200 British adults carried out 17th – 20th April 2009.

About PruHealth 
PruHealth health insurance was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now covers over 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages policyholders to look after their health.

Via EPR Network
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Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Services, Public Health, Society

Stressed Lifestyles Increasing During Recession

PruHealth’s bi-annual Vitality Index* – which tracks the nation’s health trends – has revealed that the health of the nation has declined by two points since July 2008 to a health rating of just 59%. Nearly one in five (18%) Brits now admit they live unhealthy lifestyles, an increase of four per cent in just six months.**

In the last six months the percentage of Brits saying they are under a significant amount of stress has increased from 38% to 40%. As confidence in the economy has decreased it is perhaps of little surprise that almost half (44%) of Brits report their stress levels have increased.

Half (50%) of these adults disclose that stress is affecting their personal life, with many of those surveyed now considering stress the greatest health risk to the nation (10%). Two in five (41%) people suffering from the condition put their increased stress levels down to money worries while 22% say an increased workload is the main reason for their stress. The same number also cited redundancy worries as a large contributing factor to their levels of stress.

The Vitality Index showed that those in poor health have seen the most significant rise in their stress levels, up from 56% to 64%. Those in good health cited only a slight rise from 32% to 34%.

The problems of increased stress are exacerbated by a lack of exercise. According to PruHealth, the number of people reporting that they never exercise has increased from 11% to 14%, with more than a quarter (28%) of adults blaming work commitments.

Commenting on the findings, Dr David Grainger, a senior fellow of the University of Cambridge, said: “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.”

Almost half of Brits (47%) say they struggle to eat the recommended “five-a-day” servings of fresh fruit and vegetables; only 24% manage to eat their five portions on a daily basis and alarmingly a fifth (21%) only get their daily intake of fresh fruit and veg once a week or less.

Primarily, it’s the perceived cost of exercising and eating healthily that is driving more people to cut exercise and healthy eating out of their daily routines. More than half (56%) of Britons feel they cannot currently afford the added expenses associated with being healthy, such as gym memberships and super-foods, and over one in three (37%) say they find it hard to take care of themselves due to their busy schedule. Sixty one per cent of people simply feel healthy foods are more expensive than the unhealthy alternatives.

 

The information contained in Prudential UK’s press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information and a personalised health insurance quote can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk

*The research was carried out on behalf of PruHealth by Ipsos MORI. A nationally representative sample of 3034 GB adults was questioned online in January 2009. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population. Seasonal variations may affect some responses. 
**4% of 48million UK adults is 1.9million people

About PruHealth
PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now provides health insurance cover for more than 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages health insurance policyholders to look after their health.

Via EPR Network
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Fitness, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Services, Society

PruHealth reports millions of Brits are intend to walk more to improve their health but three quarters have no idea how much they actually need to do

According to the latest research by PruHealth, Britons will be tightening their shoe laces as well as their purse strings in 2009 as 20.5 million* intend to take up walking to get healthy and shed unwanted pounds.

PruHealth, the health insurance provider that rewards people for engaging in healthy behaviour, found that nearly two thirds of Brits (61%) planned to begin a new diet, health or fitness regime in the New Year. Of those, almost three quarters (70%) said they plan to walk regularly as part of their healthy start to 2009. However, the majority of those who want to exercise by walking (15.3 million – 75%) are far off the mark when it comes to knowing exactly how much they will need to do each day to benefit.

Currently the average Brit walks for 43 minutes a day (approximately 2.9 miles**), but acknowledges they need to do more and believes stepping this up to 57 minutes (or 3.8 miles) will provide the physical benefit they need. In reality health advice recommends everyone should in fact be taking 10,000 steps a day***, equating to nearer 5 miles or 75 minutes of walking. Encouragingly, 17% of Brits say they already walk around 10,000 steps a day, but a quarter (26%) feel they would need to dramatically change their lifestyle in order to achieve this.

PruHealth’s chief executive officer, Shaun Matisonn commented: “Walking is a great form of exercise so it’s very encouraging to see so many people wanting to incorporate it into their daily lives.

“There does, however, seem to be a misconception as to how much walking one should ideally be doing each day and the answer that it’s 10,000 steps is sure to come as a big surprise to many. It would be hard for anyone to hit this target immediately, but small changes such as getting off the bus a stop early, shopping locally without taking the car, or taking the dog for a longer walk, are all ‘steps’ in the right direction.”

PruHealth knows that it has never been more important for people to lead healthy lifestyles and PruHealth’s Vitality Programme encourages people to do so. Vitality Index covers five areas – education, exercise, nutrition, screening and smoking cessation – and members could earn points by participating in healthy activities related to each area. By earning points, members can move up to different status levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) and earn lifestyle rewards, as well as potentially lowering the cost of their PMI premiums in the process.

 

* Research conducted by Opinium Research LLP 23rd – 30th December 2008,polling 2,233 British adults. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria (based on there being 48 million adults in the UK). 61 per cent of 48 million British adults intend to start a new diet, health or fitness regime = 29,280,000 adults. 70 per cent of these adults say regular walking will be part of this regime = 20,496,000 adults.
** The average respondent said they walked for 43 minutes per day. At an average of 4 miles per hour this equals 2.9 miles.
*** According to British Heart Foundation

About PruHealth
PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now provides medical insurance for more than 190,000 lives and in a sample of its individual customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its Vitality reward scheme which encourages policyholders to look after their health.

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases