Spending Time With Family/Pets as Popular as Healthy Eating and Exercise to Maintain ‘Physical Health’, Shows GfK Data

When it comes to which activities people do regularly to maintain their physical health, it is no surprise that nearly two thirds of the online population across 17 countries include getting enough sleep, eating healthy nutritious food, and exercising. What is more surprising is that almost the same numbers (62 percent) now include “spending time with family, friends or pets” as something they “do regularly to maintain their physical health”. This is up from 56 percent in 2014.

Getting enough sleep stays level over the last three years, in terms of the percentage of people who regularly include this as part of their physical health routine. However, there are notable increases in other activities – especially following a specific diet, unplugging from technology, eating healthily and spending time with family, friends or pets:

GfK *2017 survey of 23,000 consumers in 17 countries vs GfK 2014 survey of 21,000 consumers in 16 countries (excluding the Netherlands).

GfK’s research indicates that ‘quality time’ has taken a step forward in people’s perception of what keeps them physically healthy. “Taking a break from technology” increased from one in four people (24 percent) in 2014 regularly doing this to maintain their physical health to one in three people (34 percent) this year; the second largest increase across all the activities listed. Also, “spending time with family, friends or pets” increased from just over half of people (56 percent) in 2014, to just under two thirds (62 percent) this year.

Eating the right food is also getting notably more attention than in the past. “Following a specific diet” climbed from 18 percent in 2014 to 30 percent this year; the biggest increase among all the activities listed. And “eating healthy nutritious food” is now mentioned by 65 percent of respondents, compared to 58 percent in 2014.

Mexico, Spain and Canada in top five countries for spending time with family, friends or pets as part of their physical health routine

Nearly three quarters of the online population in Mexico regularly spend time with family, friends or pets in order to maintain physical health – the highest percentage for all 17 countries surveyed. They are followed by Spain and Argentina (level on 71 percent) and Canada and Brazil (level on 68 percent).

Mexico also tops the list when it comes to taking a break from technology as an activity to help maintain physical health, with 43 percent of the online population regularly doing this. Here they are followed by China (40 percent), Argentina (39 percent), Spain (38 percent) and Brazil (34 percent).

Download GfK’s complimentary “Activities to maintain physical health” report for specific data on each country, broken down by key demographics.

GfK combines these insights with data from areas such as point of sales tracking, consumer panels and geo-marketing to help clients successfully target high-potential audiences, both globally and within specific countries.