Top 25 health triggers that cause Brits to take their health more seriously
Brits have shared the top 25 triggers that prompted them to start taking their health more seriously – from having a health scare, to starting to experience aches and pains they have never had before.
Other things that led them to pay better attention to their health included gaining or losing a lot of weight, feeling physically unfit, and reaching a milestone birthday.
A friend, relative, or someone they know experiencing a health scare, or even suddenly passing away, also made the list of reasons to keep a closer eye on their own health.
And so did falling ill more frequently than they used to, and getting the feeling that they are catching every bug or illness that goes around.
The research of 2,000 adults found that they typically don't start taking their wellbeing seriously until the age of 38 – but 39% admit they regret not doing so more before they reached their mid-20s.
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It emerged that celebrities also play a part in making people take notice, with around one in 30 admitting a famous person suffering a medical problem forced them to take things more seriously with regards to their own health.
In fact, following the announcement that King Charles is undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate, the NHS website’s page about the condition received 11 times more visits than the previous day – resulting in one person visiting the site every five seconds.
And celebrity health scares also make people take notice - such as King Charles' recent prostate check (SWNS)Dr Elizabeth Rogers, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics, which runs health assessments – a preventative health check – said: “It can be very easy to disregard your health, particularly when you are young or you feel that everything is OK.
“No-one wants to think that there might be something wrong, but often the early signs of an issue are not obvious. Sometimes it can take a bit of a wake-up call before you start taking your health more seriously – whether that is falling ill yourself, or seeing a loved one or even a well-known figure experience an issue.”
The study also found one in 10 adults (11%) admit they still don’t take their health very seriously now. And nearly half (45%) didn’t take much notice at a younger age as they felt broadly fine, while 36% simply felt they were too young to need to worry about it – and a quarter believed that nothing bad would happen to them.
But in hindsight, 84% feel they took their health for granted when they were younger – with 38% admitting they followed a poor diet in their younger years, while 30% claim they drank too much alcohol, and 28% feel they let stress get to them too much.
However, three in 10 have since been asked by someone else to take more care of their health – including their partner (39%), a parent (33%), or a medical professional (30%).
As a result, 45% now try to get enough sleep, while 43% drink more water, and 34% try to reduce stress in a bid to look after their health.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 21% are currently unhappy with the state of their physical health, while 32% aren’t happy with their fitness levels.
Dr Elizabeth Rogers, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics, added: “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to health, and making even small changes to your exercise regime or diet can make a real difference to both your physical and mental health, as well as helping to prevent future conditions developing.
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“We designed our Bupa health assessments to give people a clear picture of their health and wellbeing, with personalised metrics to manage their own health – not only flagging potential risks, but setting out clear and realistic goals to make improvements to their overall health.”
TOP 25 REASONS TO TAKE YOUR HEALTH SERIOUSLY:
- Starting to have aches and pains you've never had before
- Feeling physically unfit
- Having a health scare
- Not losing weight as easily as you used to
- Reaching a milestone birthday
- Gaining a lot of weight
- A family member/friend/partner passing away
- Suffering with a mental health issue
- Someone you know having a health scare
- Falling ill more frequently than you used to
- A relative having a health scare
- Becoming a parent
- Taking longer to recover from playing sports or doing exercise
- Having a stressful time at work, and wanting to make sure other areas of your life are health
- Someone you know dying suddenly
- Wanting to be an active parent
- A friend having a health issue/scare
- Getting the feeling that you are catching every bug or illness going around
- Your parents falling ill
- No longer getting away with not stretching or warming up properly before exercise
- Reaching the same age as a parent/grandparent who suffered with a health condition
- Losing a lot of weight
- A loved one asking you to take better care of your health
- Reaching the same age as your parents were when they had you
- A celebrity or well-known person having a health issue/scare, or passing away suddenly
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