Dr Simon Mayhew, Sovereign Medical Adviser, says there is no time like the present to draw a line in the sand and review how everyday choices can have a positive or a negative impact on your health.
‘Launched as part of Healthy by Sovereign, New Zealand’s first health insurance loyalty programme to reward Kiwis for their everyday healthy choices, the online tool was designed to give individuals more awareness and understanding of the key components of their lifestyles which can have a positive or negative impact to their health as they age.’ Says this article on Scoop.
Key insights from the research painted a compelling national snapshot of our health status.
New Zealand’s Health Age:
o National average: 2 penalty years
o Men fare better than women: average 1.2 penalty years versus at 2.2 years
o Healthier as we age: Health age penalty years are decreasing as individuals get older
o Major city dwellers are faring better than the regions.
How we’re faring – a deeper dive:
o Risk taking: women are more risk averse than men, being more likely to wear a seatbelt when driving, and more likely to take precautions to avoid sun damage and practice safe sex
o Smoking: one in ten (12%) say they presently smoke – but 9% are ready to make a change and not smoke
o Weight: almost half (48%) of respondents said their weight had increased by 1kg-10kg over the past 10 years while one in ten (14%) said they’d gained more than 10kgs in the past decade
o Check-ups:
– One in five (22%) haven’t had a blood pressure check recently
– Two in five (43%) haven’t had a cholesterol check recently
– More than half (53%) of female respondents said they always have a pap smear and a third (33%) always have a mammogram when recommended
– Only 15% of men do regular testicular check on themselves
o Energy: only 6 percent of respondents rated their energy level as excellent, while the majority of research respondents (40%) said their energy level was just OK
o Fitness: men registered the highest levels of physical fitness, job satisfaction and social life while women fared better than men when it came to strength of relationships with family and enjoyment of life.
Stress, alcohol and work pressures playing a major role:
o Money worries: top the list of stress disruptors for Kiwis, ahead of family, health, work and even personal problems
o Alcohol: Over a quarter of respondents (27%) said they have four or more drinks in one session 1-3 times each week
o Work: almost half (49%) of respondents stated they work 40 or more hours each week, a third (33%) get under 7 hours sleep on average each night and 48% said their health has impaired their work performance in the past three months – with men more likely to have taken time off due injury or illness
o Physical pain: lower back, neck and shoulder were stated as the top three body parts causing discomfort for Kiwis in the past month
o Stress: is taking hold of Kiwis in physical ways including poor sleep, a nervous stomach, tension headaches and irritability.