- A quarter say they keep active because it makes them feel happier
- Body image continues to be a key motivator for around one in five men
- Nearly one in seven men worry about their physical health every day
New research from Aviva shows that over half (58%) of men rated their physical health as good or higher, with men aged 25-34 rating their physical health the highest (67%).1
Encouragingly, nearly three quarters (74%) men said that they are actively leading a healthy lifestyle. Popular activities included – getting out in the fresh air (25%), drinking enough water (25%), doing physical exercise at least twice per week (21%) and eating a balanced diet. (19%).
When asked what motivated them to do so, around two in five (41%) said it was to feel healthy. A third (33%) of men said it’s to help prevent illness such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Slightly fewer (32%) recognised the long-term benefits of looking after their health – saying that they want to be healthy when they are older.
However, three fifths (60%) of men worry about their physical health at least once a month. And nearly one in seven (13%) of these men said that they worry about their physical health every day.
Over three fifths (63%) of men knew that their physical health has an impact on their mental health, with just under a quarter (24%) saying that they keep active because it makes them feel happier.
Despite positive moves to encourage people to embrace their differences, body image still features as a key motivator for leading a healthy lifestyle – particularly within the younger age groups and again around middle age.
Just over one in five (21%) men said that they wanted to look good and a similar number (20%) said that they wanted to lose weight. On average men check their weight 24 times a year.
Around two in seven (14%) men agreed that there’s more pressure than ever on men to look good with around one in five (19%) agreeing that men are more likely to make jokes about their appearance.
When it comes to poor health, one in six (16%) felt that their health was poor or very poor. However, this percentage was much higher in men aged 16-24 (21%) and 55+ (23%).
Just over a third (34%) of men said that they have a fairly healthy lifestyle but could do more, citing lack of motivation (34%) and tiredness (31%) as key factors preventing them from being as healthy as they’d like. This isn’t surprising considering that fewer than a quarter (23%) say they get enough sleep most nights. Around one in five (18%) say that they feel too stressed to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Being more active can help to boost ‘feel good’ hormones, as well as offering other health benefits such as helping to improve sleep quality, our mood, heart health and reducing the risk of obesity.
Dr Doug Wright, Medical Director, Aviva UK Health said: “Encouragingly, our research shows that health is front of mind for many men and that they also recognise the positive benefits that leading an active lifestyle can have on our physical and mental health – both now and in the future.
“With the nation’s health continuing to be under the spotlight, it’s positive to see that many men are taking responsibility for their wellbeing by leading a healthy lifestyle.
“However, there’s still room for improvement. Around one in three men say they lack motivation or are too tired to lead a healthy lifestyle – but being more active can help to boost ‘feel good’ hormones, as well as offering other health benefits such as helping to improve sleep quality, our mood, heart health and reducing the risk of obesity.”
Across the board, men rate their physical health as:
| 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
Good or higher | 53% | 67% | 66% | 58% | 52% |
Average | 21% | 21% | 19% | 25% | 23% |
Poor or very poor | 21% | 5% | 10% | 13% | 23% |
More information on the research can be found on Aviva.co.uk.
-Ends-
References
1. The research was conducted by Censuswide with 1,000 nationally representative UK men, aged 16+ between 02.05.2024 - 09.05.2024. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.
Media enquiries
Amber Scott
Protection and Health, Regulation
-
Phone
-
+44 (0) 7384 230 662
-
-
Email
Notes to editors:
- We are the UK's leading diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
- We help our 19.5 million (as at 30 June 2024) customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
- We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2023, we paid £25.6 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
- In 2021, we announced our ambition to become Net Zero by 2040, the first major insurance company in the world to do so. We are aiming to have Net Zero carbon emissions from Aviva’s operations and supply chain by 2030. While we are working towards our sustainability ambitions, we recognise that while we have control over Aviva’s operations and influence on our supply chain, when it comes to decarbonising the economy in which we operate and invest, Aviva is one part of a far larger global ecosystem. There are also limits to our ability to influence other organisations and governments. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the task and are committed to playing our part in the collective effort to enable the global transition. Find out more about our climate goals at www.aviva.com/climate-goals and our sustainability ambition and action at www.aviva.com/sustainability
- Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at https://www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
- As at 30 June 2024, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £398 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus was £8.2 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
- For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us
- The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our spokespeople images, podcasts, research reports and our news release archive. Sign up to get the latest news from Aviva by email.
- You can follow us on:
- X: www.x.com/avivaplc
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/aviva-plc
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/avivaplc
- For the latest corporate films from around our business, subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/aviva