09.21.12
Euromonitor International, Chicago, IL, has published a new report that analyzes the attitudes of young men toward health and wellness. Titled “Young Men’s Attitudes Towards Health, Fitness and Wellbeing: Global Survey Strategic Analysis,” the report takes an in-depth look at young men in the 15-29 age brackets and their health and health-related activities. While male consumers are clearly an attractive segment for marketers, health and wellness related products and services are competing with lifestyle pressures, including time constraints, an array of unhealthy foods, smoking levels among global youth, and sedentary work cultures.
A majority of young men have a positive attitude toward health, placing importance on regular exercise, eating fruit and vegetables, reducing fat, salt and alcohol, drinking plenty of water, keeping stress levels down and not smoking. But the survey analysis also indicates that there is still a gap between how young men perceive health and what they do to achieve their health-related goals.
“The pressures and temptations of modern life contribute greatly to the challenges young men face with making fundamental lifestyle changes. We see it in rising obesity rates and high levels of smoking prevalence. But this also presents opportunities for marketers to educate young male consumers on proper nutrition, weight-loss plans, and available health and wellness products,” said Daphne Kasriel, consumers editor at Euromonitor International.
“Efforts to further educate young men about healthy eating may also be supported by [their] love of sports. The rapid expansion of sports nutrition products into mainstream retailing continues to appeal to this demographic and speaks to the larger market for sports-related products and services,” added Ms. Kasriel.
The report identified the following sectors benefitting the most from increased health awareness among young male consumers: better-for-you, naturally healthy & organic foods, mineral waters and functional foods aimed at the young, male segment, as well as sports nutrition, food intolerance products and men’s sports apparel.
