Headaches, Colds And Back Ache: Commonest Ailments

Headaches, Colds And Back Ache --- Most Common Health Complaints: Nielsen Global Survey

People Opt For Self-Medication Over Doctor’s Appointment

Chinese Consumers Most Influenced By Health-Remedy Advertising With Ad Spend Topping Us$9 Billion In 2006…!

7 August 2007, Auckland: Key findings from a global health survey conducted by The Nielsen Company has found that headaches, colds, sleeping problems and back ache are the most common ailments of the world’s consumers, and when it comes to their treatment in an industry estimated to be worth over US$70 billion, consumers are loyal and habitual purchasers of over-the-counter (OTC) self-medication products.

According to Nielsen, headaches are the most common complaint for consumers around the world – and may explain why analgesics are the largest category in the OTC market. Nearly half of those polled in the online survey (42%) claimed to have suffered a headache in the last four weeks, while one in three had suffered a cold, back problem or sleeping problem. One in five suffered from a cough, sore throat, stomach upset or some other kind of pain.

The Nielsen Company’s 47-country survey also revealed diverse regional differences among populations and their health problems. EEMEA and Latin American consumers suffer more headaches, with more than half in these regions said they had suffered a headache within the last month. Asians (36%) were more susceptible to catching colds than any other region and are more likely to suffer from sore throats, coughs, stomach pain and toothache than they would a back problem, unlike those in North America and Latin America.
People in South Korea seemed to be the sickest, suffering from most ailments and topping the global rankings for suffering from colds, indigestion, heartburn and toothaches.

Within Asia Pacific, the Nielsen study uncovered an interesting phenomenon - where China has the world’s biggest insomniacs, with four in 10 Chinese claiming to have suffered sleeping problems in the past month, Singaporeans led the world with 37 percent suffering from a sore throat, a third of Filipinos were coughing more than anyone else and Indonesians tops the world with 44 percent suffering flu in the past four weeks.

In New Zealand 52 percent suffered headaches in the past month, the third highest in Asia Pacific, after Australia and Philippines at 56 percent and against the regional average of 35 percent. Sleeping problems affected over 3 in 10 Kiwis.

At the other end of the scale, Indians, Japanese and Portuguese were the healthiest consumers, with one in four claiming not to have suffered any health ailments at all in the past month.

Nielsen polled 26,486 internet users in 47 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East at the end of April this year. Nearly half (42%) said they reached for their usual ‘tried and tested’ medication at home during times of ill health, and one in three either saw their doctor or visited a pharmacy in search of an over-the-counter recommendation.

The survey findings reflect some regional differences in the way consumers treat their ailments. In North America, consumers are more likely to seek out pharmacies than visit their doctor. In Europe and Asia, a visit to the doctor came ahead of reaching for non-prescription medication and home remedies, with Hong Kong leading the world with most people opting to see a doctor (51%) when they are ill. Meanwhile, people in Scandinavia and Asia Pacific are also more likely to ‘grin and bare it’ – about one third in Denmark (36%), Norway (33%) and Taiwan (28%) led the global rankings for taking ‘nothing at all’ to cure their health complaint.

Over 4 in 10 Kiwis reached for their usual ‘tried and tested’ medication at home, followed by 28 percent purchasing a non-prescription medicine from the chemist.

The Nielsen survey also indicates that once a consumer wants to purchase a non-prescription medicine, experience with the product/brand always counts. Overwhelmingly, the most loyal consumers of OTC/self medication products are Asians – over 80 percent of Hong Kong, Singaporean and Chinese consumers say they always buy the same ‘tried and tested’ products. 68 percent of North Americans also say they always buy the same brand of self-medication. The other factors influenced what consumers did when they fell ill were reliance on medical professionals; and deeply rooted cultural ‘home remedies’ – especially in Central and Eastern European countries and throughout Asia.

It’s worth-noting that while one in five global consumers (19%) said they were influenced by advertising or a friend’s recommendation when trying new OTC medications, people in Asia rely on OTC advertising more than any other region when making their decisions, led by China, with 39 percent of Chinese consumers - the world’s highest - saying their self-medication purchasing decisions are influenced by ads. Just over 2 in 10 New Zealanders are influenced by advertising or a friend’s recommendation.

This will be music to the ears of OTC and Pharmaceutical companies in China, who invest heavily to advertise their brands to Chinese consumers who appear to trust them more than they do doctors or pharmacists. According to Nielsen Media Research, Pharmaceutical was the most advertised category in China in 2006, spending a staggering US$9 billion – or around seven dollars for every Chinese citizen – and up 17 percent on the previous year.

To put this into perspective, the amount spent on pharmacy advertising in China equates to almost 75 percent of all media advertising in the next two biggest advertising markets in the region - Australia and South Korea.

For OTC companies, the challenge lies in encouraging consumers to switch brands in a category characterized by auto-pilot purchasing, shopper loyalty and the added element of deep cultural traditions of self medication in many countries. Through consumer research and work with OTC companies, Nielsen has found humor and strong lifestyle associations with the local culture have proven successful, especially in emerging markets where the OTC market is immature but developing fast.

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