Survey cites leading threats for Pinoy health

MANILA, Philippines - A regional survey said that pollution, food integrity and Internet addiction are among the leading modern-day health concerns of Filipinos.

According to AIA Group’s 2013 Health Living Index, “pollution, a modern day threat to healthy living, is a major concern across the region and particularly so in the Philippines. 100 percent of Filipino adults interviewed feel that pollution is a real health hazard.”

Filipino adults are concerned about all types of pollution: in the land (86 percent of those surveyed), in the air (85 percent), improper disposal of electronic devices (82 percent) and water pollution (82 percent).

The concern among Filipino adults for all types of pollution is much higher than the regional averages and the highest among the 15 markets surveyed.

There are also very high concerns about food safety and integrity in the Philippines.

Filipinos said they are concerned about harmful ingredients in food (73 percent), that ingredients are not what it seems on label (75 percent) or that the food they buy may have gone bad already (73 percent).

Internet addiction emerges as another new modern-day threat to healthy living across the region.

Despite lower Internet penetration than many other markets in the region, 39 percent of Filipinos admit that spending time online and social networking are becoming addictive.

Spending time online is already preventing many adults from getting enough sleep (46 percent), enough exercise (44 percent) and also affects their posture (45 percent).

“As connectivity continues to grow in the Philippines, internet addiction is a problem likely to grow in magnitude,” the AIA report said.

There is also a universal agreement among Filipinos that healthy living is important but 75 percent of Filipino adults surveyed feel their health is not as good as it was five years ago, with 73 percent of younger adults under 30 agreeing with this sentiment.

The Philippines scored 61 out of a possible 100 points in the Healthy Living Index, putting it in the middle bracket of the 15 markets covered and therefore, with significant room for improvement.

In a similar 2011 survey, health concerns also ranged from lack of sleep, lack of exercise, obesity, food safety, pollution and fears of getting cancer.

The AIA Healthy Living Index survey covered 10,245 adults aged 18 to 65 years old in 15 Asia-Pacific markets: Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Macau, Brunei and the Philippines. About 750 interviews were held in the Philippines. 

The AIA Healthy Living Index is the only multi-country study in Asia-Pacific tracking a broad range of health and health-related issues.

AIA is the largest, independent pan-Asia life insurance group in the world. It is the parent company of the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Co. (Philam Life), a leading life insurance company in the country.