CONSUMER RESEARCH
What are customers’ current attitudes towards health and fitness, and what are the implications for our industry? Mike Hill reports on the findings from this year’s Health and Fitness Omnibus Survey
T
he national Health and Fitness Omnibus Survey (HAFOS) – the annual barometer of UK consumers’ attitudes towards health, fitness and physical activity – is now in its 10th year. A street-based consumer survey, HAFOS uses a national sample of over 1,200 people, interviewed in five locations throughout England. To date, HAFOS has interviewed well over 15,000 people, making it the largest and longest running annual survey of its kind. This year’s HAFOS provided some interesting information regarding participation in the aftermath of the London Olympics, as well as insight into consumers’ ongoing reluctance to exercise in spite of understanding the value of physical activity for good health.
EXERCISE IS HEALTHY? THAT’S A GIVEN
After a decade of campaigns at every level, it seems consumers are getting the message about being active. In the 2012 HAFOS report, more than 90 per cent of the population now recognise that regular exercise/activity is important to their health, with only a marginal two per cent saying it’s unimportant. In terms of perceptions of how much activity you need to do and what type, more are starting to recognise the key message that regular amounts of moderate physical activity, even for short periods, can be benefi cial to health (see Figure 1). People are also saying they want to do more exercise: 51 per cent of HAFOS respondents said they either defi nitely
or probably do not exercise as much as they’d like. Only 19 per cent said they defi nitely do as much as they want, with 20 per cent saying they probably do. Overall, the percentage of the population claiming they’d like to be more active has remained relatively static over the last 10 years, with 52 per cent of people overall stating yes, they would. There are, however, interesting differences to be noted between males and females, with more than half (55 per cent) of women saying they would like to be more active, compared to only 47 per cent of males. Even more dramatic is the noticeable decline in those wanting to be more active among the older age groups, with only 22 per cent of those aged 75 and over wishing to do so (see Figure 2).
FIGURE 1: Do you agree with the following statements: Strongly agree only 15%
You can get enough in your daily life without doing sport or exercise
Physical activity is better for your health if it gets you out of breath
Physical activity is better for your health if you keep it up for 30 minutes
Physical activity is better for your health even if only for 10 minutes at a time
Physical activity is better for your health even if moderate
■ HAFOS 2012 34% 40% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 28% 43%
FIGURE 2: Would you like to do more physical activity/exercise? 52% Yes
Female Male 75+ 65-74 55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 15-24
Most understand the benefi ts of exercise, but many remain inactive
■ HAFOS 2012 54 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital March 2013 © Cybertrek 2013 55% 47% 22% 35% 45% 51% 57% 64% 57% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
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