Health | Full of hints for revitalizing the healthcare market! ? “Zero → Plus” health awareness among men in their 20s
This project explores new trends in the healthcare field through dialogue with experts. Continuing from the first issue with the theme of "preventive medicine" , this time we will focus on "healthcare awareness among men in their 20s". We tend to think that health is something that people become more concerned about as they get older, but looking at the results of the Wellness Survey of 10,000 People, in recent years there has been a notable positive attitude and behavior towards health care among men in their 20s. increase.
What kind of external influences and changes in values are behind this? And what are the new healthcare trends emerging from the health awareness and behavior of men in their 20s?
Health and medical journalist Kunihiro Nishizawa was invited as a guest, and Ms. Naho Takizawa from the Dentsu Healthcare team spoke.
*What is Wellness 10,000 Survey: A large-scale quantitative survey aimed at understanding healthcare insights from consumers' health awareness and behavior and clarifying market needs/trends from the consumer's perspective. Starting in 2007, it is held every year targeting 10,000 men and women in their 20s to 60s.
Remarkable polarization among men in their 20s: “health active group” and “health indifferent group”
Takizawa: In the “Wellness Survey of 10,000 People 2020,” cluster analysis is conducted based on health awareness and behavior items. Among the seven clusters, the "health active group" with the most diverse health awareness and behavior accounted for 26.5% of all men in their 20s, which is about 10% higher than the health active group of all genders (16.9%). It has a high composition ratio.
On the other hand, 29.7% of respondents are indifferent to their health, which is about 14% higher than the 15.8% of all sexes, demonstrating a clear polarization. Mr. Nishizawa, what do you think about the results of this survey?
Nishizawa: I think it's a very interesting trend that the health awareness and behavior of men in their 20s are so clearly polarized, but I also felt a sense of crisis.
Takizawa: Among the specific awareness items that stood out, a man in his 20s answered, "I live a life that is always conscious of my health" and "I think I have more than average knowledge about health, such as nutrients, food, and exercise." More than 30% of the respondents answered “Applicable”, which is higher than men in their 30s to 50s. In terms of behavioral items, 25% of men in their 20s responded that they "take FOSHU products regularly," which was the highest score among men of other ages.
Nishizawa: FOSHU products are supposed to be mainly targeted at people who are concerned about lifestyle-related diseases and menopausal disorders, but there may be a gap in actual usage.
Takizawa: Considering that most men in their 20s are medically healthy in general, it is not “negative (illness/illness) → zero (cure)” but “zero → positive (more comfortable state)”. It can be said that the health awareness of people is born. Mr. Nishizawa, what are your thoughts on the fact that a certain percentage of men in their 20s are highly interested in health, even though it is polarized?
Nishizawa: How men in their 20s perceive their parents may be a clue. I don't think there are many people in their parents' generation, especially men in their 50s and 60s, who have been concerned about their health since they were young. Furthermore, they are the people who groped their way through the low-growth era with no exit in sight after the bubble burst. And now, they are approaching old age with a sense of anxiety about old age. I think it's only natural for children who have seen such parents up close to feel a sense of crisis that they must protect themselves.
Takizawa: Certainly, there are many cases where lifestyles and sense of values that the parents thought were good, such as how to drink and smoke, are perceived in the opposite way by the children.
Nishizawa: Another aspect is related to community formation for the digital native generation and beyond. It is natural for people in their 20s to belong to multiple communities via virtual networks, and they are naturally conscious of how to present themselves and how to express themselves in each place.
Also, the nature of communities is changing. For example, when we were young in our 50s and 60s, there were many glaring communities, but many of their communities encourage gender-free and flat values and require comfortable relationships. Cleanliness and healthiness are also emphasized as one of the factors.
It's completely different from the values of my parents' generation, who read magazines' embarrassing special features such as "conditions for being a popular man" (laughs). There is a popular word "herbivore" recently, but when young people are asked, "What is your favorite food?"
Takizawa: Men who like salad are no longer minor. We can see the evolution of power salad, and now it is accepted regardless of gender.
Nishizawa: I think it's a wonderful trend that men in their 20s are becoming more health conscious, but I'm concerned that nearly 30% of the population is indifferent.
Takizawa: That's right. I tended to put off digging deeper into the indifferent demographic, but I feel that their insight also has important hints about the new way this market should be.
Nishizawa: While there are people who expand their communities through the virtual world, there are also people who are unable to build comfortable relationships and become isolated. It's even more so in the corona wreck where real contact is restricted. The degree of such relationships may also lead to the polarization of health awareness.
"Beauty awareness", which is inseparable from the health of young people, is entering a new phase! ?
Takizawa: You mentioned how you present yourself in the community, but the awareness of beauty among men in their 20s has risen over the past few years.
Nishizawa: In addition to using basic cosmetics, more and more men are using foundation to cover up their rough skin, and more and more men are getting permanent hair removal. I've heard that many of the people who buy cosmetics for aging odors targeting fathers are young people who are sensitive to body odors. I didn't take it to the back (laughs).
Takizawa: In terms of cleanliness and beauty, there may be more situations where there is no need to distinguish between men and women. For example, in skincare products, men and women have different skin characteristics, so there may be cases where it is necessary to make a distinction in that respect. I think it's going to be diluted. Products with a neutral brand image will naturally be used by both men and women.
Nishizawa: I was surprised when men with androgynous beauty became overwhelmingly popular during the Korean wave boom, but now "beautiful boys" are not only popular in South Korea and Asia, but also on a global scale. I'm here.
Takizawa: Along with these changes, the men's cosmetics market is still growing, and the needs are currently progressively segmented.
Nishizawa: In the future, men's resistance to make-up may fade. People in their 20s now process their photos beautifully as a matter of course. With that in mind, there seems to be a need for health and beauty that brings the real body closer to the virtual “self you like.”
We hope to become a driving force in the healthcare market! Effects of health behaviors of men in their 20s
Takizawa: It seems that the health and beauty awareness of men in their 20s may inspire women of the same age and men and women in their 40s and above to become health and beauty conscious.
Nishizawa: I think it's a very interesting flow. Starting with men in their 20s, the attitudes of women will change, and perhaps even the attitudes of men in their parents' generation will change. Men in their 20s have never been the main players in the healthcare market, so if they become the driving force in the market, this could be a revolution for the industry.
Takizawa: If young people take the initiative in taking care of their health, for example, if we can reduce the number of people suffering from lifestyle-related diseases, it will also contribute to reducing the burden on Japan's medical expenses.
Nishizawa: Lifestyle-related diseases are extremely difficult to cure once they develop, so it's essentially necessary to be careful from a young age when symptoms have not yet appeared.
Regarding aging, overseas studies have shown that there is a big difference in the pace of aging between people who care about their health and those who do not. There is a study that compares the faces of 10 people with the lowest degree of biological aging and 10 with the highest degree of aging at the age of 45 by synthesizing them, and the difference in appearance is surprising. There is also a big difference in other aging indicators and body age.
In other research, as a result of analyzing nearly 3000 types of proteins in the blood, it was found that physical aging progresses irregularly rather than at a constant speed, and the aging speed is 34 years old, 60 years old, and 78 years old. We expect it to be faster. With that in mind, skipping health care in your 30s can cost you a lot.
References:
Nat Aging. 2021 Mar;1(3):295-308
Nat Med. 2019 Dec;25(12):1843-1850.
Takizawa: These are very interesting research results. With this kind of scientific information that also mentions "appearance", I think that even people in their 20s can smoothly become themselves and lead to behavioral changes. And it seems that it will lead to changes not only in the young generation but also in the entire healthcare market.
Nishizawa: Yes, men in their 20s who are highly conscious of their health are a “treasure”. If they become leaders in the health market, I truly believe that Japan will change dramatically.
Takizawa: I would like to fully grasp the positive trends in health awareness and behavior among young people, which have begun to appear characteristically among men in their 20s, and utilize them in approaches to other generations.
Lastly, could you tell us if there are any topics in the healthcare field that you are paying attention to?
Nishizawa: I would say that methods to suppress the onset of diseases associated with aging are being elucidated from the cellular level. One of the hottest ingredients right now is NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide). Research is underway as it is expected to be effective in preventing aging, improving diabetes, preventing Alzheimer's disease, and improving ovarian function. Collecting.
In the United States and China, NMN supplements have already become popular among celebrities and high-income earners, and support is spreading among young business owners in Japan. The number of products with suspicious ingredients and sales methods is increasing, but high-quality supplements cost about 30,000 to 50,000 yen per month. An increasing number of young people are investing as much as 50,000 yen a month in supplements to maintain their health.
Takizawa: I'm curious about how it will spread in the future. Thank you for today!
[End of the 2nd dialogue]
The background to focusing on the “zero → plus” health consciousness of men in their 20s is that they are free to live up to their expectations so that they do not get stuck only on scientific correctness and serious ideas. This is because I wanted to use it as an opportunity to better understand the aspect of "feelings" that are active and sometimes illogical even in the healthcare field. By digging deep into the insights of this group, in addition to the possibility of business targeting men in their 20s themselves, I would like to explore elements that can provide hints for other targets and the market as a whole.
The younger generation featured in this article is a target with a high affinity for next-generation healthcare businesses such as online health consultations and personalized healthcare products. In the next installment, we will talk about "Prospects for Business Utilizing Personal Health Data" while incorporating such perspectives.
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