Telly belly is striking down Britain’s TV fans, say the country’s GPs.
Telly belly is striking down Britain’s TV fans, say the country’s GPs.
TV addicts are catching bugs from their favourite stars – or at least they think they are – according to new research into the working life of doctors.
GPs say media stories on health issues, such as those featured on the news or soaps, have a significant effect on people’s perception of their own well-being.
In fact, more than nine out of ten GPs believe media coverage affects patients, says the study by Norwich Union Healthcare.
The spread of telly belly is one of a number of findings which reveals a UK patient-base becoming ever more interested in its own health.
And to help patients improve the management of their everyday health and their efforts to prevent illness, Norwich Union Healthcare has launched a web-based health service today called personalhealthmanager.co.uk
Norwich Union Healthcare’s study also reveals:
- Almost nine in ten GPs say patients are more likely to self- diagnose than 10 years ago
- GPs believe a quarter of patients who self-diagnose are right most of the time, two thirds occasionally and just over one in ten hardly ever
- Three quarters of GPs believe women are better informed about health issues than men
- Two thirds of GPs say they are overworked
Tim Baker, commercial director of Norwich Union Healthcare, said: “TV health scares clearly put added pressure on GPs. But overall I’m sure doctors welcome the population’s growing interest in its own well-being.
“It’s much better than having patients who wait to get ill and then expect the doctor to do everything for them.”
Personal Health Manager will offer round-the-clock help, advice and information for Norwich Union Healthcare customers and their families. It also provides telephone access to GPs 24 hours a day.
The service launches today. It can be used by Individual Private Medical Insurance customers of Norwich Union Healthcare who register on the site. Anyone else can use it for a 30-day trial period. All content has been created in the UK by a team of over 20 medical professionals.
The site contains four areas. They are:
- Symptom Assessment - users can enter their own symptoms and answer questions to determine a range of possible conditions
- Health Planner - helps users create tailored health plans to change habits for the better and avoid ill-health. These plans can be carried through using e-mail reminders
- Medical Encyclopedia - over 1,000 pages of illustrated medical information from the latest edition of the Complete Family Health Guide published by Dorling Kindersley
- 24-Hour GP Helpline - this service already exists for Norwich Union Healthcare policyholders. Personal Health Manager extends the service by giving GPs access to data saved by users on the site*.
Dr John Henry, Professor of Accident Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital & Imperial College Medical School and chairman of the site’s medical review panel, believes Personal Health Manager is a major step forward in healthcare.
He said: “People are clamouring for this kind of service. I’m pleased to see Norwich Union responding to this with Personal Health Manager. Anything which empowers patients to take more responsibility for their own well-being is to be applauded.”
Access to Personal Health Manager: Norwich Union Healthcare has set up a free 30 day trial for your readers. Simply call 0800 142 142* quoting reference AEQ PHP. (see Notes to Editors for journalist access)
Press contact:
Jo Misson, Matthew Buchanan or Jane Wheeler at QBO on 020 7379 0304
or Louise Zucchi at Norwich Union on 08703 666 860/07860 203466
Notes to editors:
- Norwich Union Healthcare commissioned Taylor Nelson Sofres Omnimed to talk to more than 200 GPs across the country in October 2002.
- *The GP Helpline is not available as part of the trial. For security and administration, calls to and from Norwich Union may be monitored and/or recorded.
- Norwich Union Healthcare is the healthcare arm of Norwich Union and provides a range of private medical insurance and income protection products to around 750,000 customers. It is one of the largest providers of income protection and private medical insurance in the UK.
- Norwich Union is the UK’s largest insurer offering a comprehensive range of long-term savings and general insurance products.
- Norwich Union’s news releases are available on the Aviva plc website at www.aviva.com
- A selection of images is available from the Norwich Union Newscast site at www.Newscast.co.uk
For life and pension media enquiries 08703 66 68 73
For all other media enquiries 08703 66 68 68
Norwich Union Life Services Limited represents only the Norwich Union Marketing Group, members of which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, for life assurance, pensions and investments. Members of the General Insurance Standards Council Members of the Aviva group