AUSSIES PRIORITISE MONEY OVER LOVED ONES: HCF REVEALS TOP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
The nation’s top New Year’s Resolution for 2022 has been revealed, with Australians vowing to do more physical activity or exercise over any other goal this January, according to new research conducted by HCF Australia.
The research also revealed that Aussies plan to prioritise making money over improving connections with loved ones and changing their relationship with alcohol.
With January traditionally being the month of healthy new beginnings for many, HCF, Australia’s largest not for profit health fund, is encouraging Australians to set realistic health goals and seek support to help them achieve a happier and healthier new year.
The results of a survey conducted by HCF of more than 2,500 people, show that while three quarters of Australians say they set New Year’s Resolutions, 78 per cent won’t make it to the end of the year.
The survey also revealed that more than 3.4 million Aussies have taken out a gym membership as part of a New Year’s Resolution they hardly used; and 50 per cent of parents with kids under 18 who set New Year’s Resolutions said they got too busy to stick to them.
Of those who will set a New Year’s Resolution, the most popular goals were:
- Do more physical activity or exercise (54%)
- To eat more healthily / improve nutrition (47%)
- Stress less (36%)
- Make more money / chase financial freedom (36%)
- Get more sleep (35%)
Other popular resolutions included to say ‘yes’ to new adventures and experiences (33%); improve connections with loved ones (27%); reduce screen time (22%); and change relationship with alcohol (12%).
An analysis of HCF member benefits found there was an 80 per cent increase in claims for Weight Management Classes from December 2020 to January 2021.
HCF Chief Officer Member Health, Julie Andrews, said health management programs were a great tool for people to ensure they had a support network set up to help them achieve success with health goals.
“We’re always looking for ways to help members be their healthiest selves,” Ms Andrews said.
“That’s why we offer evidence-based programs to help people develop healthier habits, lose weight if they need to and prevent the onset of various chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Healthy Weight for Life Dietician Trent Watson said the best way for people to maximise their chances of achieving New Year’s Resolutions was to use the ‘SMART’ acronym: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
“Be specific when you state your goal. You have to know exactly what you want in order to set yourself up to have it,” Dr Watson said.
“If your goal is vague, it's much harder to create a roadmap to achieving it, and it's also much harder to know when you hit it.
“Resolutions like ‘getting fit’ or ‘losing weight’ are difficult to quantify to say the least, and for best results, your goal needs to be measurable. This is the key piece that must be in place in order for you to know when you've definitely reached your goal.
“You want to set goals that are challenging yet attainable if you put in the hard yards. Dangle the carrot sufficiently in view by not making them easy either.
“And finally, your goal should have a date attached to it so that you know how much time you have to hit it.”
-ENDS-
Media enquiries to:
Rebecca Page,
0439130400,
rpage@hcf.com.au
ABOUT HCF
HCF, Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund protecting Australians since 1932, covers over 1.7 million members with health and life insurance, and travel and pet insurance. On average over the last five years, HCF has paid out more cents in every dollar in premiums to members as benefits than the industry average. To learn more about HCF go to hcf.com.au/about-us
ABOUT THE SURVEY
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2579 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th October - 3rd November 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+).
ABOUT HEALTHY WEIGHT FOR LIFE
Help is on hand from our partner Prima Health Solutions with its evidence-based Healthy Weight for Life program, as free support for HCF members who have held hospital cover for 12 months (excluding Accident Only Basic Cover) and meet the program's eligibility criteria. Each Healthy Weight for Life program runs for 18 weeks and guides members through: nutrition tailored to you; plans to get you moving more; online self-monitoring to track how you’re doing; advice from experts just a phone call away; community support through email, message board, post and SMS. Find out more. www.hcf.com.au/members/manage-your-health/weight-management/healthy-weight-for-life
