Rising prevalence of lifestyle disorders among 23-35 yr olds

Mumbai: There are rising instances of lifestyle disorders among young professionals in the age group of 23-35 years, a survey said. The findings are part of the survey conducted by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.

It also revealed that most young professionals depend solely on employer-provided mediclaim and do not have a personal health insurance cover. A total of 1,100 working professionals from various metro cities and Goa took part in the survey held last month.

It further revealed that 45 per cent of the respondents suffered from lifestyle disorders, while 55 per cent claimed they were not affected by such conditions. Among those who said they were affected by lifestyle conditions, 40 per cent said they suffered from chronic body pain, 20 per cent had weight-related issues (obesity) and 18 per cent suffered from hypertension.

Further, 10 per cent suffered from respiratory disorders, 8 per cent from frequent digestive disorders and 4 per cent said they had high blood sugar levels (diabetes). Around 40 per cent of the respondents who suffered from lifestyle disorders claimed it was due to the nature of their occupation.

A total of 28 per cent said it was due to an unhealthy diet, 17 per cent claimed it was due to a hereditary condition, 10 per cent believed it was due to lack of exercise and 5 per cent gave stress as the reason. The survey also revealed that 75 per cent of the respondents had health insurance, while 25 per cent were without a health cover.

Of the respondents who had health insurance, 60 per cent relied solely on employer-provided group cover, while 30 per cent had both employer-provided mediclaim as well as a personal policy and 10 per cent only had a personal health insurance plan.

Among those who did not have a health insurance cover, 46 per cent felt that it was an expensive product, while 22 per cent felt they were too young to invest in such a cover, as per the survey. Other reasons given for not having health insurance included products being complicated (15 per cent) and unawareness about such products (17 per cent).