People across Hong Kong potentially face a considerable “financing gap” in their ability to pay for critical illness treatment, according to new AIA research.
The 2018 AIA Healthy Living Index survey shows that the financial burden of critical illness (such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other serious conditions) is a major worry.
In Hong Kong, 39 per cent of people are concerned about the potential costs of critical illness. When asked to estimate the costs of treatment for cancer they expect they would have to bear, 44 per cent estimate an amount that would cause serious financial implications for them.
The concern is justified when the expected financing gap is taken into account. For cancer treatment, respondents expect an average shortfall of 23 per cent of the costs they would have to bear.
Across all respondents in Hong Kong, the financing gap drops to 17 per cent for heart disease and 12 per cent for diabetes treatment costs.
Overall, the satisfaction of people in Hong Kong with their health and habits has improved since the previous AIA Healthy Living Index in 2016. Seventy-six per cent of respondents are satisfied with their health, up slightly from 74 per cent in 2016. However, only 56 per cent rate themselves positively on the amount of exercise they are getting, and only 48 per cent are satisfied with the frequency of their medical check-ups – down fifteen percentage points from 2016.
That said, people are increasingly likely to behave more healthily. On average, respondents claim to do 3.0 hours of exercise each week – an increase from 2.4 hours claimed in 2016.
People in Hong Kong are more likely to report having had a medical check up in the past 12 months in the 2018 survey (34 per cent) than in 2016 (29 per cent). Despite this, people in Hong Kong are the least likely to have had a medical check-up out of all the 16 markets in the survey.
The survey also shows that people in Hong Kong find some healthy habits hard to sustain. Only 46 per cent of those who have ever tried a diet programme continue to use one now. Only 52 per cent of those who have ever tried cutting down on carbohydrates such as rice, noodles and bread continue to do so.
People in Hong Kong also undertake healthy behaviour for a variety of reasons. They are most likely to start eating healthy food in order to reduce the risk of critical illness (51 per cent), but are most likely to start exercise to look better (56 per cent).
Meanwhile, technology is proving a positive force for change. Most people (57 per cent of all respondents in Hong Kong) consider health and activity tracking technology to be easy to use and 54 per cent think these devices motivate positive changes in behaviour. That said, almost one in three (30 per cent) who have tried such trackers have stopped using them.
Commenting on the Survey, Mr Peter Crewe, Chief Executive Officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau said: “The Hong Kong findings indicate that while people are increasingly likely to behave more healthily, they find it hard to sustain healthy habits. Recognising technology as a positive force for change, we are confident that the ‘AIA Vitality' wellness programme will continue to play a critical role in promoting healthy living. The programme is designed to encourage and reward our customers for embarking on and continuing with their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle with the aid of technology. This fulfils our commitment to delivering on our brand promise to help people live healthier, longer, better lives.”
Please see our full regional report for more detail on the research findings by clicking on the following link:https://www.aia.com/en/healthy-living/aia-healthy-living-index.html
The AIA Healthy Living Index surveyed 11,000 adults in 16 of our markets and was commissioned by AIA and conducted by IPSOS, a leading consumer research company.
The 2018 AIA Healthy Living Index survey shows that the financial burden of critical illness (such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other serious conditions) is a major worry.
In Hong Kong, 39 per cent of people are concerned about the potential costs of critical illness. When asked to estimate the costs of treatment for cancer they expect they would have to bear, 44 per cent estimate an amount that would cause serious financial implications for them.
The concern is justified when the expected financing gap is taken into account. For cancer treatment, respondents expect an average shortfall of 23 per cent of the costs they would have to bear.
Across all respondents in Hong Kong, the financing gap drops to 17 per cent for heart disease and 12 per cent for diabetes treatment costs.
Overall, the satisfaction of people in Hong Kong with their health and habits has improved since the previous AIA Healthy Living Index in 2016. Seventy-six per cent of respondents are satisfied with their health, up slightly from 74 per cent in 2016. However, only 56 per cent rate themselves positively on the amount of exercise they are getting, and only 48 per cent are satisfied with the frequency of their medical check-ups – down fifteen percentage points from 2016.
That said, people are increasingly likely to behave more healthily. On average, respondents claim to do 3.0 hours of exercise each week – an increase from 2.4 hours claimed in 2016.
People in Hong Kong are more likely to report having had a medical check up in the past 12 months in the 2018 survey (34 per cent) than in 2016 (29 per cent). Despite this, people in Hong Kong are the least likely to have had a medical check-up out of all the 16 markets in the survey.
The survey also shows that people in Hong Kong find some healthy habits hard to sustain. Only 46 per cent of those who have ever tried a diet programme continue to use one now. Only 52 per cent of those who have ever tried cutting down on carbohydrates such as rice, noodles and bread continue to do so.
People in Hong Kong also undertake healthy behaviour for a variety of reasons. They are most likely to start eating healthy food in order to reduce the risk of critical illness (51 per cent), but are most likely to start exercise to look better (56 per cent).
Meanwhile, technology is proving a positive force for change. Most people (57 per cent of all respondents in Hong Kong) consider health and activity tracking technology to be easy to use and 54 per cent think these devices motivate positive changes in behaviour. That said, almost one in three (30 per cent) who have tried such trackers have stopped using them.
Commenting on the Survey, Mr Peter Crewe, Chief Executive Officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau said: “The Hong Kong findings indicate that while people are increasingly likely to behave more healthily, they find it hard to sustain healthy habits. Recognising technology as a positive force for change, we are confident that the ‘AIA Vitality' wellness programme will continue to play a critical role in promoting healthy living. The programme is designed to encourage and reward our customers for embarking on and continuing with their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle with the aid of technology. This fulfils our commitment to delivering on our brand promise to help people live healthier, longer, better lives.”
Please see our full regional report for more detail on the research findings by clicking on the following link:https://www.aia.com/en/healthy-living/aia-healthy-living-index.html
The AIA Healthy Living Index surveyed 11,000 adults in 16 of our markets and was commissioned by AIA and conducted by IPSOS, a leading consumer research company.
