Half of consumers in Viet Nam said their current mental and physical health is less than ideal (‘fair’ or ‘poor’), outnumbering those who felt that they are in ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘excellent' health. Compared to a year ago, Asia Pacific consumers were split over whether the state of their health is better or worse.

The finding is part of the latest survey, entitled the Asia Pacific Health Inertia Survey 2021, conducted by Herbalife Nutrition Company.

For those who saw a deterioration in their physical health in the past 12 months, 73 per cent attributed it to the lack of physical activity, followed by eating more unhealthy food (45 per cent) and lack of community support to keep up with exercise regimes (32 per cent). When it comes to mental health deterioration, the key reasons included stress over work uncertainties (60 per cent), staying home more often due to movement restrictions (67 per cent), and the lack of social interactions (41 per cent), according to the survey.

For the respondents who saw an improvement in their physical and mental health compared to 12 months ago, the common contributing factor was more exercise. Other factors included consumption of healthier meals, community support and more personal time and space.

Despite most Asia Pacific consumers seeing the current state of their health as less than ideal, many have taken the first step out to eat healthier and exercise more as a result of the pandemic.

Consumers in the region said they started eating healthier, with the trend being most evident in Viet Nam (78 per cent).

The survey also revealed that 64 per cent of consumers started exercising more because of the pandemic. For those who exercised less during the pandemic, most claimed to exercise one to three days less per week, citing a lack of personal motivation to exercise, lack of space at home to exercise, and the inability to access gyms and fitness centres as the main reasons.

With the digital wave sweeping across countries in the Asia Pacific region, technology and social media are also playing a more important role to support healthy active living.

According to the survey, 72 per cent of consumers in Viet Nam now use technology tools such as publicly available virtual fitness classes and videos (60 per cent), fitness trackers (40 per cent), fitness and workout apps (33 per cent) and nutrition apps (39 per cent) to support their healthy living regimen. More consumers in Viet Nam also found that social media had a positive influence (40 per cent) on their mental health, compared to 15 per cent who identified social media as a negative influence.

Conducted in July and August 2021, Herbalife Nutrition’s Asia Pacific Health Inertia Survey 2021 polled 5,496 consumers aged 18 and above in 11 Asia Pacific markets, including Viet Nam. The survey revealed insights into the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ health, as well as their attitudes and behaviours towards improving their well-being. — VNS­