Over 60% of respondents have low confidence in establishing new health habits even before starting Experts’ advice to overcome procrastination towards building a healthy lifestyle The pandemic affects citizens’ social wellbeing but has also brought positive changes
HONG
KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 2 February
2021 – Many people will set new personal goals in the Lunar New Year. To better
support the public in building effective health habits, Reckitt Benckiser Hong
Kong Limited (RB) is revealing the findings from its recently-commissioned survey,
named the “Hong Kong Wellness in Action Index”[1]. The longitudinal survey
aims to understand local citizens’ levels of satisfaction on their physical,
mental and social wellbeing, as well as their practices in building health
habits.
From left to right: Mr. Samuel Wong, representative from FRC (Hong Kong) Ltd; Ms. Felicia Lau, Registered Clinical Psychologist; Dr. Gregory Mak, Psychiatric Specialist; Ms. Wendy Shum, Registered Physiotherapist and Ms. Natalie Yuen, RB’s External Affairs Director (HK & Taiwan) released the findings of the “Hong Kong Wellness in Action Index” Survey.
As
part of an ongoing series of health insights, the survey will also cover
in-depth discussions of different health topics on a regular basis, with experts
from different disciplines sharing their insights on the findings while
providing valuable and practical advice to the public. For this inaugural
announcement, the survey looks into the impact of COVID-19 on respondents’ wellness,
including challenges in maintaining healthy relationships – among couples as
well as between parents and their children.
Highlights of the Survey
|
Main Focus: Wellness-in-Action
|
- The
public’s level of satisfaction on their social wellbeing is 59 points
(out of 100)
60% of respondents say their levels of satisfaction on social wellbeing
declined in the last three months. - Less than
40% of respondents have confidence in maintaining their new health habits
that they plan to build in 2021, meaning that over 60% of respondents regarding
starting new health habits is a “lost cause” before even starting
them.
- In
general, respondents procrastinate in building healthier lifestyles,
and over 60% hopes
to overcome such problem.
|
|
Health Topics: Wellness and
Pandemic
|
- While the
pandemic brought many challenges to the population, it also drove positive
changes among respondents, such as “increased awareness of personal
wellbeing” (80%) and “caring more for people around me” (76%).
- Respondents
generally agree that having good hygiene habits is important to
maintain their physical and mental wellbeing, but younger respondents are
less concerned about hygiene issues – 20% lower than respondents aged 30 and
above.
- Relationships between couples have been affected, with a quarter
of respondents saying their “relationship has been distanced” due to the
pandemic.
- The
pandemic brought pressure to parents and their children. More than
half of the parents agree that their children feel more anxious and agitated
during the pandemic.
|
Give Yourself a Reason to Begin with Experts’ Wellness Lifehacks: Link
Based
on the survey findings, an expert panel consisting of a physiotherapist,
psychiatric specialist, clinical psychologist and social worker put together a
set of tailor-made “Wellness Lifehacks” to help the public improve their
physical, mental and social wellbeing.
Dr. Gregory Mak, a Psychiatric
Specialist, pointed out, “The survey showed that many people have low confidence
in building new health habits and are easily affected by procrastination. To tackle the issues, we propose a
simple 5-step approach to help changing their mindsets at the beginning of the
Year of the Ox.”
Ms.
Wendy Shum, a Registered Physiotherapist, said “Many people want to start exercising
during the pandemic, however, there could be ‘blind spots’ when one is starting
out. For example, injuries have increased as people are doing exercises as instructed
via online videos without proper supervision. With our ‘Wellness Lifehacks’, we
hope to enable the public to develop healthier lifestyles in a better and safer
way.”
Ms.
Felicia Lau, a Registered Clinical Psychologist, added, “This survey revealed
plenty of insights. For example, many respondents agreed that the pandemic made
them care more about their family and friends. Thus, we recommend the public to
express their care to the loved ones and keep in close contact with friends, to
improve their wellbeing and enrich their social lives. We also hope to encourage
them to embrace positive changes brought by the pandemic.”
Key
Survey Findings
Low
satisfaction levels towards social wellbeing
For
a score of 0-100, respondents have higher levels of satisfaction for “physical wellbeing”
at 70 points and “mental wellbeing” at 64 points. “Social wellbeing” only scored
low at 59 points. Nearly 60% of respondents say their satisfaction levels
towards social wellbeing has declined in the past three months, which may be a reflection
on the lack of social interaction brought by the pandemic.
Establishing health habits is regarded as a “lost cause”
Over
90% of respondents say they are keen to develop new health habits in 2021,
citing three main goals — “do more exercise” (84%), “maintain a healthy diet”
(72%) and “engage in more outdoor activities” (52%). However, less than 40% of
respondents have confidence in maintaining these habits. This may reflect that an
inability or proper motivation to put their health habits into action, regard
them as a “lost cause” even before starting.
Expert Tips – Overcoming 5 “Blind Spots” When Starting
a Habit of Exercising (By Registered Physiotherapist)
People are plagued by procrastination
More
than half of the respondents admit they procrastinate and around 70% believe
procrastination will have negative consequences. Respondents agree that the problem
of “prolonged procrastination” should be tackled, with over 60% hoping to
improve their situation.
Expert Tips – 5-Steps to Stop Procrastinating and
Develop New Health Habits (By Psychiatric Specialist)
The pandemic brings positive changes
The
pandemic has impacted negatively on the public’s wellbeing. The most common impacts
include “more concerned about my job/financial status” (61%), “the new work- or
study-from-home mode creates more pressure” (57%) and “feeling more anxious and
agitated” (52%). However, there were positive changes, including “increase awareness
of personal wellbeing” (80%), “care more about people around me” (76%) and “spend
more time with my family” (71%).
Expert Tips – Embracing 5 Changes to Drive a New
Lifestyle during the New Normal (By Registered Clinical Psychologist)
Youngsters are less concerned about hygiene habits
Over
80% of respondents believe that having good personal hygiene habits helps
maintaining a positive physical and mental health. 56% of respondents aged 30
or above aim to “live a more hygienic life” in 2021, while only 38% of those
aged between 12 and 29 have such a goal. This may reflect that youngsters are
less concerned about hygiene issues.
Couples’ relationships are challenged during the pandemic
The
pandemic has affected interactions between couples and creates tension in their
relationships. Around 40% of respondents with a spouse/partner believe the
pandemic has “restricted my interaction with my spouse/partner”. Over 30% claim
that they have “less intimate time with my spouse/partner”. A quarter of
respondents also say that their relationship “has been distanced” and “have more
arguments with my spouse/partner”.
Expert Tips – 5 Missions to Improve the Relationship among
Couples (By Psychiatric Specialist)
Challenges of parent-child relationships
Around
50% of parents felt the pandemic impacted their children’s social wellbeing.
More than 60% of parents expressed that studying at home has created more
pressure for their children, and over 50% of them said that the pandemic has
made their children feeling more anxious and agitated.
Expert Tips – Answering the 5 needs to Help Kids Maintain
Mental and Social Wellbeing (By Registered Social Worker)
Mr.
Pankaj Agarwal, Reckitt Benckiser’s General
Manager Hong Kong & Taiwan, Health, said, “RB has always driven by its purpose
to
protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier
world, and putting customers first. As a leader in FMCG industry, we launched the
first ‘Hong Kong Wellness in Action’ Index, together with the professional
advice from the expert panel, we hope to leverage our trusted brands’ expertise
to provide all-rounded information and practical tips to the public, helping Hong
Kong citizens to take a proactive approach in kick-starting a healthier
lifestyle in the new normal.”
Mr. Cyril Chung, a registered
social worker, also added, “The survey gave a good representation in terms of
the topics and age groups covered. It helps us better understand the
community’s ability to adopt a healthier lifestyle as a whole. With the
comprehensive information provided, we can offer the public with more valid
recommendations.”
[1] FRC (Hong
Kong) Ltd, an independent research firm, was commissioned to conduct the survey
in December 2020. There were 1,014 respondents, aged 12 and above. Those
surveyed include 156 parents with children between 3 — 12 years’ old, and 669
respondents with a spouse/partner.
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