Americans remain safety-conscious but heavy
Safety is more popular with Americans than ever, but the struggle to lose weight remains a source of significant frustration for many. Prevention magazine's 11th annual Prevention Index indicates that the two seemingly incompatible trends - one relatively new, the other a frustratingly intractable aspect of the culture - dominate the current picture of health and well-being in the United States.
Frequently reported safe practices included having a smoke detector installed at home (92%), and exercising on a regular basis (78%). Wearing seat belts while riding in the front sear of a car (73%) and not driving after drinking (only 17% of adults reported that they do drive after drinking) reached the highest levels ever recorded by the report. But the report also found that 68% of adults 25 and older are over their recommended weight range. In fact, only 19% fall within range, while nearly two out of five adults (38%) exceed it by at least 10%.
Overall, the nation scored a 66.8 out of 100 on the 1994 Prevention Index, slightly lower than the 67.3 registered in 1993. The overall score is based on 21 health-promoting behaviors, and includes ratings of nutrition, exercise, weight control, frequency of medical examinations, smoking and other tobacco use, alcohol use, and home and auto safety. Each behavior is weighted for its impact, and the total values are adjusted to a scale of 100. A Prevention Index score of 100 would mean that all Americans were doing all 21 preventive acts; zero would mean that no one was doing any of them.
Other key findings reported in the 1994 Prevention Index include:
- One-quarter (25%) of adults smoke cigarettes, compared to 30% one year ago. The latest finding is, however, in line with levels seen in 1991 (25%) and 1992 (26%), indicating that last year's increase was a statistical aberration, and that there has been no real decline in the number of smokers since 1990. Smoking declined steadily throughout the '80s but seems to have stalled at its current level. Tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco, are used by 32% of all adults.
- Women appear to be exercising less, with only a third (33%) now reporting that they get frequent strenuous exercise, a decrease of five points from last year's report.
- Over half of adults (52%) are working to reduce the amount of fat in their diets. This represents a decline from the two previous surveys (58% and 57%, respectively).
- More than four-fifths of women (81%) have screenings for cervical cancer at least once every two years, while only 50% do breast self-examinations at least once a month as recommended.
- Six in ten adults (61%) experience great stress at least once a week - a level that has remained fairly consistent over the past three years.
- Almost half of the adults surveyed (44%) never drink alcoholic beverages.
- Less than half of drivers (45%) always obey the speed limit.
- Four in 10 adults believe there is some likelihood that they will be afflicted with heart disease (42%) or cancer (41%) during their lifetimes.
The Prevention Index is based on a nationwide Princeton Survey Research Associates survey of 1,250 randomly selected adults aged 18 and older. The survey was conducted by telephone in November 1993. The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points. Prevention is published by Rodale Press Inc., Emmaus, Pa.
Health consciousness drives fresh produce market
One manifestation of America's growing interest in health and wellness is consumers' increasing desire to buy food that is good for them. "Fresh Trends 1994," a study of consumer perceptions of and attitudes about fresh produce, reveals that more than 80% of Americans buy fresh produce for specific health reasons. The 10th annual Fresh Trends study - published by The Packer, a business newspaper for the fresh produce industry, and Vance Research Services - is based on a telephone survey of 1,000 nationally representative households, which were culled from the 280,000-household consumer panel of Market Facts Inc., Chicago. Both The Packer and Vance Research are part of Vance Publishing Inc., Lincolnshire, ILL.
The survey revealed that people buy produce for specific health reasons. A vast majority (80%) of orange buyers get the fruit for the vitamin C it contains. When in search of fiber, 60% of consumers say they purchase fruit: apples (39%) and bananas (15%) proved most popular. Significant portions of carrot fans buy the vegetable to get beta carotene (48%) and vitamin A (19%). People also buy carrots (15%) for their role in cancer-prevention, while many seek out broccoli (27%) for the same reason. People buy potatoes (24%) for complex carbohydrates.
The numbers denote that Americans are aware of the health benefits of eating fresh produce. According to "Fresh Trends 1994," four out of 10 consumers have changed their eating habits, and 31% have increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables, since learning about the National Cancer Institute's 5 a Day for Better Health program, which is designed to encourage people to consume five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The program has caught the attention of 29% of U.S. households, according to government-sponsored research.
Food safety remains an issue. Some 65% of the "Fresh Trends 1994" respondents said they remembered a National Academy of Sciences report on the impact of pesticides on children. About half the respondents said they have changed the way they handle produce - through washing or peeling.
A 108-page magazine containing high-lights of the study is available, as is a 350-page full report. For more information, write The Packer, 7950 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210.
Consumers want personal lane on info superhighway
Upscale consumer households need, and are willing to pay for, information and features that can be delivered by new interactive information products and services, according to focus group research done by FIND/SVP, New York. The research showed that home consumers exhibit a wide variety of personalized information access and retrieval styles based on both individual lifestyle characteristics and the types of information sought. The finding indicates that there won't be a traditional mass market for consumer information, so the flexibility of digital media - its ability to be personalized - will be key to its success.
Almost 60% of the focus group participants, who were identified as intensive users of information services, agreed that they often don't know where to look for consumer information they need. A similar share (56%) said that not having enough information is a problem. Many participants believe that an electronically interactive Yellow Pages could overcome the problems associated with printed information sources, such as confusing listings and a lack geographic specificity.
Others focus group participants were interested in services that would give them more control over when and where they receive news, as well as the types of news they receive. Some were interested in filtering out TV violence, though others believed that would white-wash their view of the world. Basically, the research showed that people want to be able get what they want, when they want it.
Other services that appealed to focus group participants ranged from services that could provide knowledge access and homework help, to home box office seat selection, to specialized shopping and consumer report services, and' 'electronic community" services. Interactive billing and financial information access also appealed to certain types of consumers.
The information-intensive consumer households represented in the focus groups said they paid an average of $75 per month to obtain information via TV, newspapers and magazines. Some households easily spent twice this much or more. It was harder for consumers to say how much time they spend searching for information - 20 to 25 hours per week seemed to be the average.
The majority of participants in the focus groups were willing to pay at least $20-$30 for a selection of services offering different information retrieval benefits. They also indicated that interactive products and services will be welcome in many American households provided the systems are easy to learn.
FIND/SVP's research is designed to discover what exactly people want from electronic information sources, and to establish benchmark data on the size and characteristics of information consumer market segments. The research will conclude in a study titled "The American Information User Survey: Consumer & Home Office Information Use & Demand," which will be produced in association with Thomas E. Miller Associates.
Kids call the shoe shots
A new survey by the New York-based Simmons Market Research Bureau shows that children ages 6 to 14 have a strong influence on their parents when it comes to the brands of clothes they wear. The "1993 Simmons Kids Study" reports on the amount of clout kids exert on their parents in the marketplace.
The parents of the 2,000-plus youngsters surveyed for the study said that their kids often have the last word on the brand when selecting certain articles of clothing. The kids' influence was strongest when it came to the brand of sneakers (45.2%), jeans (38.6%) were aclose second, followed by shirts and blouses (38.2%), casual pants (34%), and sweats (32.8%). The survey also found that for all these items, girls have more to say about brands purchased than boys do.
Private-label products growing slowly
Retail sales of private-label products in supermarkets grew only 4.4% last year to reach sales of $33.9 billion, according to a new study by Packaged Facts, a New York-based research company. Private-label food and beverage products performed even more poorly, gaining only 2.6% on sales of $24 billion. The firm predicts 4% to 5% annual growth rates through 1998, when the market should hit $40.9 billion in sales. While the growth, both detected and predicted, is solid, it seems to indicate that the increasingly sophisticated approach retailers distributors and wholesalers have taken to advertising, packaging and promotion of private-label brands has had limited effectiveness. Name brands have proven resilient, even as private-label products have improved in quality.
VCRs don't slow moviegoers
Despite the rapid growth of VCRs, basic and pay cable, pay-per-view and sophisticated home entertainment systems, Americans still go to the movies. According to a telephone survey conducted by Edison, NJ.-based Bruskin/Goldring, one-half of adults have gone to the movies one or more times in the past six months. Young adults go to the movies more frequently than older ones. Nearly one-half (48%) of all moviegoers are 18 to 34 years old and two-thirds of these young adults have gone to the movies one or more times during the past six months.
Americans go to the movies less often as they get older. In the survey, 62% of 25 to 34 year olds, 53% of 35 to 49 year olds, 34% of 50 to 64 year olds and 27% of respondents 65 and older reported having been to the movies in the previous six months.
Moviegoers use film reviews more than any other source to decide what to see. Reviews influence the picks of 38%; 25% cite newspaper reviews while 19% follow the advice of TV movie critics. About three in 10 moviegoers say advertising influences their selections. Some 20% choose movies based on television advertising and 12% say their choices are based on newspaper advertising.
Despite the influence of media, word of mouth can make or break a release, with 25% of respondents saying they rely on recommendations from friends. Other factors cited include the actors and actresses in the film (12%) and theater "coming attractions" previews (7%).
Not all moviegoers follow the same path to the theater. Almost half of adults 50 to 64 (47%) say newspaper reviews are their first source of movie information, followed by word-of-mouth recommendations (34%). Moviegoers ages 18 to 24 cite TV reviews (22%), TV advertising (21%) and word of mouth (21%) as their top three ways to get movie information.
When looking for show times, there is virtually no substitute for the newspaper as 81 % of moviegoers consult newspaper directories for locations and show times. Few respondents (13%) call theaters directly and only 3% call an electronic movie directory.
More than seven in 10 movie fans stop at the snack bar before the lights dim. More women (75%) than men (69%) snack at the movies. Moviegoers ages 25 to 49 are the most likely (81%) to buy refreshments, compared to 66% of 18 to 24 year olds and only 37% of those 65 and over. Popcorn is the most popular snack (89%), followed closely by soft drinks (87%). Of all moviegoers, 22% admit they purchase candy.
Managed health care expected to continue growing
Whether or not the Clinton administration is able to get its health care reform legislation approved by Congress, the growth of managed health care will continue in the years ahead, industry analysts say. After reviewing a number of industry studies, analysts with the Managed Care Information Center, Wall Township, N.J., concluded that the health care market will continue its trend toward managed care through the rest of this decade. Their conclusion is based on the fact that managed care emerged as a result of excessive health care costs - not as a result of health care reform.
Rising health care expenditures drove health care providers and payers to search for ways to control costs. They found that the best way to do so without giving up quality or accessibility is through managed care - HMOs, PPOs, utilization review and cost containment.
For example, nearly 62% of the human resources and benefits officers that participated in an Ernst & Young survey said their companies will not wait to see what reform accomplish, but instead will take aggressive action to control health care costs in the next few years.
Another study predicted that nine out of 10 companies will include managed care components in their benefit plans by 1996.
In addition, health care recipients are beginning to accept managed care as a reasonably priced alternative to traditional indemnity plans.
An estimated 45 million Americans received their care through a health maintenance organization in 1993, an increase of 3.5 million from the previous year and an increase of 20 million from the number of HMO members in 1986, according to the Group Health Association of America, the HMO industry trade group. The GHAA estimates that the number of Americans that receive theircare through an HMO will increase by another 5 million by the end of 1994.
Other types of managed care plans have also gained popularity in recent years. Enrollment in preferred provider organizations andpoint-of-service plans has increased steadily and will continue to increase in the years ahead - regardless of health care reform.
Health care providers and payers have put additional pressure on employers and their employees to accept some of the responsibility for rising health care costs by promoting and practicing responsible, healthy behavior - as illustrated by the increased number of corporate wellness programs.
Other managed care trends that will continue regardless of health care reform include the further development of point-of-service plans, increased self-funding and direct contracting by employers, the continued development of managed care workers' compensation programs, the formation of new purchasing arrangements and the expansion of electronic claims administration.
The Managed Care Information Center, which publishes Competitive Healthcare Market Report and Healthcare System Reform, has prepared a free report, "The 1994 Healthcare Marketplace: Transitions and Opportunities." To obtain a copy, send a 9-inch by 12-inch self-addressed envelope with 75 cents postage to: "The 1994 Healthcare Marketplace: Transitions and Opportunities," American Business Publishing, Brinley Professional Plaza, 3100 Highway 138, Wall Township, N.J. 07719-1442.