1 in 3 Indians grapples with stress, 35% battle diabetes, high BP, hypertension

Gen Z & Millennials have claimed to be suffering trom higher proportion of Anxiety. Lack of Stamina, Obesity etc. are ailments that higher % o Gen Z have claimed to be suffering.

Every third person in India is grappling with stress while younger generations, especially Gen Z and Millennials are reporting higher levels of anxiety, lack of stamina, and obesity, underscoring the urgency for targeted health interventions, according to the 2023 India Wellness Index by ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

The index measures the wellbeing and quantifies the current state of wellness among people on multiple  pillars like physical, mental, family, financial, workplace, and social. The study canvassed 2,052 respondents across 19 cities, across age groups, genders, geographies and degrees of employability. 

This year's wellness index stood at 72 out of 100, suggests that while there is an uptick in digital well-being and health tech utilization; social wellness in how individuals, especially women, engage within their communities is decreasing. In fact, in 2023, India's Wellness Index has shown no growth and remains below the levels achieved in 2019.

 

The study revealed that incidences of stress and depression symptoms is rising, with those affected experiencing significantly lower mental wellness.

"Spending quality time with family sees a decline among working women in 2023, leading to a decreased feeling of well-being, with only 53 per cent of women claiming they spend quality time with their families  and community in 2023, compared to 64 per cent in 2022. This resonates with interactive sessions from the study, reflecting the challenges faced by working women in maintaining a balance between work and personal life," said Sheena Kapoor – Head Marketing, Corporate Communications & CSR, ICICI Lombard.

The study revealed that workplace wellness has dipped this year as Generation Z and working women feel the pressure. "Indian Women had show tremendous growth on wellness last year, that corrected in 2023, driven by loss in Work-place Wellness. Both Gen Z’s and Women are not able to manage a better work-life balance  and time at home post resumption Work from office in

2023," said the report. 

Key takeaways from the 2023 study include:
 

Workplace wellness has experienced a decline in comparison to the year 2022. However, physical and mental wellness maintain their positions as the top two priorities. While millennials showed stellar growth in financial wellness, Gen Z exhibited a decline on financial and workplace wellness. Highest decline has been observed in terms of influence (Seniors inspiring to be more efficient), Infra (Access to workplace infra, quality workforce) and Actions (Managing work-life balance).

 

Stress and back pain are most common ailments Indians suffer from. Among owners of health insurance, 35 per cent suffer from either Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol or Hypertension

Only 35 per cent of Indians are able to correctly identify true symptoms of heart diseases/ ailments. At least 15 per cent  are ignorant to the symptoms which may cause sever heart problems, need to increase awareness.

Gen X appears to bear the brunt of these conditions, often inheriting serious health concerns from their parents. Cardiovascular health remains a critical area, with only 35% of respondents able to correctly identify all risk factors, indicating a dire need for heightened awareness.

77% Indians are aware of health problems that can be linked to heart ailments while 15% individuals are unaware of risk factors that may lead to heart ailments. Indians falsely associate irregular sleeping habits, drinking less water & high screen time as risk factors of heart diseases.

Alarmingly, the younger generations, especially Gen Z and Millennials, report higher levels of anxiety, lack of stamina, and obesity. The report revealed that 77% of Indians experience at least one symptom of stresson a regular basis. This number is even higher in the case of Gen-Z and Millennials The decline in workplace wellness has played into the grim situation with around 3 in 4 Gen Zs have said that they feel guilty because they are unable to make time for everything they want, feel exhausted early in the week and frequently thing about work post work hours.

Moreover, a growing number of Indians are turning to platforms like Facebook and YouTube over traditional business media for investment advice. A whopping 70% of Indian use Social Media for expressing or talking about Physical or Mental Wellness  Social Media is looked up by respondents as an important source for Mental & Physical Wellness with 45% saying that they access motivational content on these platforms that helps overall wellness of body and mind.

Not just social media platforms, wellness Index is higher among people using Fitness Tracking products (72%) and those who are not (54%).

A concerning dip in social wellness is underscored, with all pillars — awareness, action, and influence — showing a notable decrease. The decline is pronounced among women and residents of Tier 1 towns, revealing a pressing need for initiatives to bolster community engagement. Social Wellness falls by 3% in 2023 overall with it seeing the highest decline among Working women. Reasoning the decline, the resumption of complete work-from-office might have a role to play.

"This year's index reveals the digital embrace in the wellness sector, with more individuals turning to health tech and social media for well-being insights and solutions. Social Media is looked up by respondents as an important source for Mental and Physical Wellness with 45% saying that they access motivational content on these platforms that helps overall wellness of body and mind. However, the decline in social wellness is a call to action, emphasizing the need for more community-centric initiatives," said Kapoor.