The survey, which is part of the India Fit Report 22-23 titled Game-Changing Health & Wellbeing Revolution in India indicates that a staggering 24 per cent of Indians are struggling with stress
According to the GOQii India Fit Report 22-23’s Stress & Mental Health Study conducted among 10,000+ Indians, the current workplace environment and financial instability have become the top 2 major factors affecting stress levels among Indians. The survey, which is part of the India Fit Report 22-23 titled Game-Changing Health & Wellbeing Revolution in India indicates that a staggering 24 per cent of Indians are struggling with stress.
The survey was conducted to understand how Indians are coping post-COVID and if stress levels have increased or decreased. 26 per cent of Indians are stressed due to their current work situation and 17 per cent due to financial instability.
Speaking about the study, Vishal Gondal, Founder & CEO of GOQii said, “Our study indicates that the current economic and financial instability is creating unprecedented stress among people who are struggling to stay afloat in a rapidly changing world. The mounting uncertainty is the basis of the high stress levels which can be controlled with a balanced diet, changes in lifestyle and appropriate sleep patterns. We at GOQii believe that preventive healthcare is the future and the only viable, long-term solution given the huge load on the healthcare system in India. Stress & Mental health has a huge impact on physical health and overall quality of life, hence addressing it sooner with a healthy and wholesome lifestyle is the only way ahead.”
Coupled with stress, Indians are also plagued by lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases are rapidly becoming a major health issue in India, with 24 per cent of Indians suffering from high blood pressure according to the latest GOQii India Fit Report 22-23. The report indicates that lifestyle illnesses over the last 3 years are consistently on the rise with Diabetes, High Cholesterol , High Blood Pressure and Thyroid being the four most common lifestyle problems among people in 2022.
The India Fit report is based on a holistic health survey of 6 million users to understand and delve deeper into how Indian’s are maintaining heart health and managing other parameters such as lifestyle diseases, BMI, nutrition, water, stress, sleep etc.
High Blood Pressure still tops the chart. High cholesterol is another silent killer which has seen an increase. People with high cholesterol have increased from 16 per cent in 2020 to 18 per cent in 2022. People with diabetes have increased from 15 per cent in 2020 to 17 per cent in 2022. The report indicates that 7 per cent of people are suffering from Thyroid-related issues, out of which women are more affected by it than men. This has not changed over the years. The World Health Organization estimates that lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cholesterol, thyroid, and high blood pressure are responsible for 80 per cent of all deaths worldwide.
This statistic has not changed much over the years. “It is concerning to see the rise in lifestyle diseases in India,” said Gondal, “These diseases are largely preventable through regular exercise, a balanced diet and lifestyle modifications. We encourage people to make healthy lifestyle choices and take preventive measures to protect themselves from these diseases.” GOQii is committed to helping people lead healthier lives through its digital health services. GOQii provides users with access to personalized health coaching, doctor consultations, health tests and much more.
“48 per cent of Indians found to be unhealthy, a growing cause for alarm!”
Another cause for concern is the Health status of India. The GOQii India Fit Report has revealed that nearly half of the Indian population suffers from unhealthy lifestyle habits, an alarming statistic that is cause for immediate concern.
As per the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) score, around 48 per cent of Indians are in the ‘borderline or unhealthy’ category in 2022 as far as their health status goes as compared to last year’s figures where 43 per cent of Indians fell in the ‘unhealthy’ category. While, India’s average BMI falls well within the normal range at 21.9, we however found that the data indicates that among adults 17 per cent are obese and there is a 2 per cent increase in obesity among young adults. 1 per cent are in the High-Risk segment which means that the majority of people can become healthy by making a few adjustments to their lifestyle.
As per the health status classification based on cities, Patna (60 per cent), Kolkata (56 per cent), Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Chandigarh have 55 per cent and 53 per cent of their population unhealthy than the rest of the cities.
As part of the annual India Fit Report, GOQii also conducted a cardiac survey among 4000 users to understand the heart health of Indians. The survey was conducted as a result of the no. of reported sudden heart attacks among celebrity and sporty young adults and adults in India increased between 2021-22. We wanted to find out what actually was leading to sudden heart attacks.
The report shows the probability of developing heart disease is associated with unhealthy dietary patterns, lack of exercise, obesity, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking habit etc. Sleep is also an important part of our overall health, and lack of sleep can have a profound impact on our cardiovascular health. Some people who suffer from sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person frequently stops breathing during sleep, have an increased risk of developing heart disease.