Thorne HealthTech, a leader in developing innovative solutions for a personalized approach to health and wellbeing, has released findings from the national longitudinal study, 2021 Wellth Report, which explores how the health and wellness priorities of consumers have shifted during COVID-19. Among the study’s findings:
Health & Wellness is now a top priority
Pre-pandemic health and wellness was, for many, an afterthought. It was a common healthcare approach to treat people when they fell ill, rather than focus on preventing them from getting sick. COVID-19 has radically changed that approach.
In the Wellth Report analysis on COVID-19’s impact, it was found that efforts to actively improve health are gaining significant momentum. The study found:
- Most adults (89 percent) have actively tried to improve at least one area of their health, such as mental health or sleep quality, in the past 12 months.
- Adults continue to prioritize improving their physical health and nutrition, especially their socialization as communities continue to reopen.
Although taking care of ourselves, optimizing aspects of our health, and targeting specific goals are now a top priority for communities, the study found significant barriers remain when it comes to achieving health goals.
Wanting to improve health and wellness – but not knowing where to start
While wanting to improve their health is now a major goal for U.S. adults navigating the pandemic, many, unfortunately, don’t feel in control of their health. The report found that:
- 58 percent of adults, especially millennials and women, are increasingly concerned about becoming sick.
- In addition, 42 percent of U.S. adults report less optimism and more uncertainty about their health in a post-pandemic world, with many reporting feeling overwhelmed.
The report found that two of the biggest areas of concern that have been unsurprisingly exacerbated by the pandemic are stress and sleep, especially among millennials and women.
Getting stress and sleep under control
The pandemic has put huge strains on our sleep quality, and subsequently, our levels of stress. Although it’s no surprise that both stress and poor sleep are on the rise, our report did find the following from those surveyed:
- When asked about their health goals for the next six months, many U.S. adults emphasize stress or poor mental health as the root cause of other health problems, including poor sleep, nutrition, family relationships, and overall satisfactory livelihood.
- Only 50 percent believe they can control the quality of their sleep.
- Only 49 percent believe they can control the amount of stress they experience.
- Only 40 percent of millennials believe they can control the quality of their sleep.
- Only 36 percent of millennials believe they can control the amount of stress they experience.
Unfortunately, among those who are actively trying to make improvements:
- Only 34 percent who tried to improve their stress level rated their attempts as highly effective.
- Only 31 percent who tried to improve sleep quality rated their attempts as highly effective.
So, while most Americans realize the toll the pandemic has had on their sleep and stress levels, and despite actively making it a priority to improve them, many have been left feeling helpless when it comes to actively making improvements.
The role of personalized health & wellness
What did we learn from 2021 – and more importantly, where will what we learned take us in 2022? We know people are eager and ready to live healthier lives, despite the uneasiness that the pandemic will continue into the foreseeable future. Many individuals in the report cited their top goals as improving their mindset, losing weight, eating healthier, and resolving an ongoing health problem.
- 62 percent of U.S. adults are highly likely to embrace health tools to achieve their health goals.
- The same number said they are very interested in turning to supplements to support their goals, with Gen Z and millennials showing the highest interest.
- Many adults, primarily millennials and women, are significantly more interested in personalized options to achieve their health goals.
