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.

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.”

More information on the research can be found on Aviva.co.uk.

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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.}

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