The India Health Habits Survey 2021
Breaking down the lifestyle habits and digital behaviours of Indian health consumers
There’s an ongoing global pandemic we’re not talking about enough — a pandemic caused by chronic diseases, also called non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that NCDs now account for 7 out of the top 10 causes of death. These include ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, diabetes, and kidney diseases.
Chronic diseases are no longer ‘ailments of the aged’ — many of them strike earlier, even during the prime years of life. These diseases span different age groups; they seriously impact the quality of the patient’s life, and cause a heavy financial burden.
Engaging YOU — the health consumer — can unlock much-needed resources in the fight against chronic diseases. The Dr. YOU platform aims to support health consumers to make positive, informed decisions about their health and wellness behaviours. You can follow Dr. YOU on our Medium and Instagram channels.
The India Health Habits Survey 2021
Attitudes towards health-related behaviours — such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and health-seeking — influence the future development of many chronic diseases. We ran the “India Health Habits Survey” to gain insights about knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to nutrition, physical activity, and use of online sources for health information among health consumers.
The survey included respondents across different age groups, education levels, and geographical regions. A total of 60% of the respondents were women, around 46% were in the 35–44 age group, around 76% were married, around 48% had post-graduate degrees, and around 39% had Bachelor’s degrees.
Here’s a preview of some of our findings. The full survey report will be published by early April 2021.
#1: Too sweet, but not salty enough?
What did YOU say?
The survey responses indicated that health consumers are more conscious about sugar consumption than salt consumption. While 45% of the respondents reported consuming appropriate amounts of sugar daily, 75% thought they were consuming adequate amounts of salt.
This trend was consistent across all age groups, income levels, and education levels. The exception was patients with reported heart disease and diabetes. A much lower percentage of these respondents reported consuming adequate amounts of sugar and salt, indicating a higher degree of awareness in these groups.
What does this mean for YOU and Dr. YOU?
High salt intake is a major culprit behind hypertension, which is one of the leading causes of premature death globally.
Studies have shown that the average salt intake in India is about 11 grams per day, which is more than double the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended intake of maximum 5 grams per day.
This may be because it’s much harder to track how much salt you consume daily, given that common foods you eat have much more salt than you think.
While the higher awareness about salt and sugar consumption with patients of heart disease and diabetes is a welcome sign, it is also important to raise awareness among health consumers who are not yet diagnosed with these conditions.
The Dr. YOU platform intends to provide easy-to-understand, action-oriented content pieces to help you keep track of your lifestyle habits such as salt and sugar intake.
#2: People seem to forget their fitness goals when they turn 45
What did YOU say?
Only 61% of people aged 45–54 years reported undertaking moderate-intensity exercise daily compared to an average of 73% across all age groups.
This trend was consistent with other forms of exercise — only 47% of people aged 45–54 years reported daily vigorous exercise compared with an average of 69% across all age groups.
Impressively, all respondents (100%) aged 55–70 years reported undertaking moderate exercise daily.
What does this mean for YOU and Dr. YOU?
These trends suggest that the late 40s and early 50s, which coincide with a peak professional phase, seem to veer people away from focusing on their own health.
Regular exercise is essential, especially for those above 45 years — it improves heart health, is a great de-stressor, strengthens the muscular and skeletal system, and lowers the risk of many chronic diseases like diabetes.
But given how many in this age group may be swamped with professional and familial responsibilities, it may be difficult to commit to an exercise routine.
Dr. YOU will make this easier for you by providing you information and advice on how to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine.
#3: Many people aged 24–44 years get their health information online
What did YOU say?
Many respondents aged 24–44 years reported finding their health information online. These online sources include Google, websites, blogs, and social media platforms.
Around 64% of those in the 24–34 age group and around 47% of those in the 35–44 age group reported using online sources as their primary sources of health information.
Surprisingly, we found that respondents in the lowest income bracket were the most likely to use the internet as their primary source of health information.
What does this mean for YOU and Dr. YOU?
Over the last two decades, technological advances have empowered health consumers to transition from “passive recipients” of services to active co-owners of their health and wellness decisions.
Easier access to digital media has propelled this transition. These trends have particular relevance for reaching vulnerable, low-income communities to offer them actionable insights on preventive health behaviour changes.
Dr. YOU uses digital media to deliver engaging and easy-to-understand health content. Our soon-to-launch multilingual content will adapt health messages for low-income communities and distribution platforms.
#4: Online sources are yet to gain traction for health decision-making
What did YOU say?
Only about 10% of all respondents trusted online sources of health information for their health decisions.
Interestingly, those in the lowest income bracket were most likely to consider digital media as their primary source of health decision-making.
What does this mean for YOU and Dr. YOU?
These findings indicate the opportunity for credible and engaging online health content to offer choices to health consumers for decision-making.
Importantly, this trend may have relevance to reach and inform the health-seeking choices of millions of low-income health consumers globally.
Dr. YOU is addressing this by demystifying complex scientific information through social media-friendly and shareable posts.
Dr. YOU — Looking forward to the future
Dr. YOU’s ambition is to support health consumers in their journey towards better health and well-being. The right information in the hands of health consumers can guide them towards positive outcomes.
While this survey provides some key insights, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Dr. YOU’s future ambitions involve understanding more about lifestyle and digital behaviours across different age groups (especially younger ages when many of the bad behaviours set in) and geographies, and how digital penetration can play a role in guiding health consumers towards positive health outcomes. A particular area of further research for us will be to understand how credible online content can be used to engage with and guide positive health choices for low- and middle-income health consumers globally.
We look forward to your support in the form of feedback on our platform and health topics you would like to have covered. You can also keep an eye out for the full report on the “Health Habits Survey”. Follow our Instagram page (@dr.you_official) to engage with us and for more information about the survey results.
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Remember, the only person who can keep YOU the healthiest is YOU!
