New Sanofi survey provides insight into the UK's self-care landscape

Results of a new Sanofi UK survey of 2,000 UK consumers born between 1981 and 1996 suggest millennials are confident self-carers from a healthy lifestyle perspective.

Of those questioned, 67% report feeling very or somewhat confident they maintain a good level of health through self-care. However, only a minority take self-care seriously with just one in three millennials surveyed looking for information on self-care at least once a week to inform self-care choices and purchases. Furthermore, when it comes to treating actual healthcare conditions, only 39% of UK millennials questioned feel well informed enough to stay healthy or treat a minor health condition.

This sentiment is echoed by UK healthcare professionals surveyed as part of a new global report entitled “Be Your Best 2019 – Empowering the Net Generation to Make the Most of Self-Care”. This report sheds light on the self-care perceptions and practices of this generation of millennials and healthcare practitioners across seven global markets, including the UK. Only 12% of UK GPs (n=75) and 23% of UK pharmacists (n=75) feel well informed about the options available for the people they treat to seek self-care solutions. In addition, 67% of UK GPs and pharmacists (n=150) think patients do not perform self-care sufficiently – despite information being available at their fingertips. Those healthcare practitioners surveyed also state that the reliance on online searches may paradoxically cause unnecessary worry.

This underlines the current challenge for policymakers and the NHS alike in encouraging patients and healthcare practitioners to transition to a self-care focused approach to prevention and treatment.

These findings reveal the complexity of the self-care landscape in the UK and we hope by sharing insight into these issues, we can provide the NHS with a compelling call to action to improve the awareness of self-care practices amongst both patients and healthcare practitioners. As a business, we are committed to empowering people to help prevent illnesses before they begin and avoid additional cost pressures to local healthcare services and the wider NHS. In pursuing this goal, we want people to play an active role in managing their health and wellbeing, and for this to happen, there needs to be the appropriate education and training programs in place for healthcare practitioners across the NHS.”

Fabio Mazzotta, General Manager of Consumer Healthcare, Sanofi UK