STADA Stories | Healthy Lifestyle and Supplements

A lesson we learned last year: Health always comes first. Our coexistence is affected when everyone’s health is at stake. It thus comes as no surprise that a healthy lifestyle has become more important for 1 in 2 Europeans. And within this trend, food supplements, which can be taken to support our health, have found themselves at the centre of a certain COVID-induced hype.

All eyes on health: Europeans strive for a healthier lifestyle – and are ready to embrace novelties

84 percent of Europeans consider a healthy lifestyle important
Almost 3 in 4 Europeans now take food supplements
38 percent of Europeans have tried out new sport and diet trends
Healthy nutrition plays a major role

During the pandemic, health has become much more of a priority for Europeans. The STADA Health Report 2021 has brought to light new nutrition, sports and fitness trends as well as a fresh focus on food supplements. The vast majority of Europeans say they have taken the pandemic as an occasion to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Only 30 percent did not invest more than usual in their health over the past year. The others have been willing to spend and focus more on their health.

How have health-related behaviours changed?

23 percent of Europeans have ordered more health products online, 21 percent have sought more advice in pharmacies and stocked up their medicine cabinet and 16 percent of Europeans have downloaded fitness apps. Overall, health is at the top of the agenda: 84 percent of Europeans believe that a healthy lifestyle is important. At the core of this: a healthy diet, nutrition as well as sports and fitness trends. 35 percent of Europeans have recently incorporated some form of physical activity into their daily life and have tried to exercise more during the past months. In particular, fitness trends such as yoga, hula hoop and aerobic have become very popular as gyms have remained closed during the lockdown.

Aside from this, a healthy diet has also gained in importance: almost 1 in 2 Europeans have adopted a healthier and more balanced diet in the last year. But what characterises a healthy diet? 42 percent attach value to fresh and high-quality products and are willing to invest more in a healthy diet. Many Europeans have tried new sports and diet trends such as HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), pilates, the Daily Dozen Principle or a plant-based diet over the past year; however, 17 percent also say that they have not yet discovered the “right” sport or diet trend for themselves.

Food supplements are trending

Considerable interest revolves around food supplements, which are also high on the list of healthy lifestyle choices. Providing important vitamins and minerals, their relevance has been reinforced by the pandemic. 73 percent of Europeans buy and use food supplements. Among 18 to 34 year-olds, they are even more popular (81 percent).

Over the past year, self-reported supplement use has increased by almost a third (29 percent) due to Corona. Notably, women (33 percent) have taken to supplements more than men (25 percent) recently. Another interesting finding: 34 percent of Europeans who live in urban centers (of more than 500,000 inhabitants) have started using food supplements during the past months, compared to only 24 percent of people from more rural areas.

But where to buy food supplements in times of lockdown and fear of infection? Despite all restrictions, the pharmacy remains the number one place to go for food supplements (22 percent). Supermarkets follow in second place with 14 percent, closely followed by online pharmacies (13 percent).

STADA Health Report 2021: Representative online study by Kantar on behalf of STADA.
Research time frame: March through April 2021.
Sample: Around 2,000 respondents each from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom

All eyes on health: Europeans strive for a healthier lifestyle – and are ready to embrace novelties

Healthy nutrition plays a major role

How have health-related behaviours changed?

Our coexistence is affected when everyone’s health is at stake.

Food supplements are trending

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