Look after your health and wellbeing now

According to PruHealth's bi-annual Vitality Index - which tracks the nation's health trends across stress, exercise, diet, smoking, health knowledge and check-ups - despite believing that obesity (54 per cent) is the greatest threat to the health of the nation followed by heart disease (38 per cent), it would take being diagnosed with a health condition to encourage the vast majority - 79 per cent - of people in the UK to improve their health and fitness.

The Vitality Index also shows a distinction between what UK adults consider the biggest health concerns facing the nation and their own individual health concerns. For example, while obesity was considered the biggest health issue facing the nation, from an individual standpoint, cancer was the greatest health concern. Smoking and alcohol abuse made it into the top 5 biggest health issues facing the nation, however, these concerns were replaced by stress and Alzheimer's disease on the list of individual health concerns. Only 10 per cent of UK adults cite stress, and 6 per cent cite depression, as the biggest health issues facing the nation, whereas these conditions feature much higher in the list of individual health concerns, at 16 and 14 per cent, respectively. Conversely, poor diet and nutrition was considered one of the biggest health concerns facing the nation by almost one fifth of UK adults (19 per cent), but only 8 per cent saw it as an individual health concern.

Although people in the UK appear to be clear on what the big issues are facing the health of the nation - with 81 per cent of people knowing what they should and should not do to be healthy - when it comes to translating this knowledge into healthy behaviours, people are struggling. Only a fifth exercise the recommended 5 days a week or more, and just under a quarter eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Equally, although 63 per cent believe in keeping a check on their health, only 13 per cent have a periodic check with their GP. So it's interesting to note that in addition to using the diagnosis of a health condition as a catalyst to improve health and fitness, rewards and incentives are the second most popular way of inspiring healthy behaviour with 55 per cent of people in the UK saying they would be likely to improve their health condition for an incentive.

Shaun Matisonn, CEO, PruHealth, said: "The most concerning figure here is undoubtedly the 79 per cent of people who will wait until they are diagnosed with an illness before making any attempt to improve their health and fitness, rather than making a lifestyle change now in order to prevent being diagnosed with an illness in the future.

"Finding a way to motivate a change in lifestyle is the biggest hurdle we face as a society, but using incentives to encourage people to look after their health and wellbeing is an extremely powerful motivator."

Commenting on the findings, Dr David Grainger, Senior Fellow, Cambridge University, said: "Even though three-quarters of people see the health of themselves and their loved ones as a key priority, for the majority it would take diagnosis of ill health to motivate any significant change of lifestyle. It is hard to over-estimate how big a hurdle this is to promoting change. Regular health checkups are key it is disappointing see that only 13 per cent of respondents had regular health checks, despite the emphasis of the public health message on prevention rather than cure.

"[Interestingly] though, more than half of the population say they would change their lifestyle in response to rewards and incentives. Giving serious thought to incentives for a healthier lifestyle must [therefore] move higher up the public health agenda."