‘76% Indians’ health choices influenced by family, friends’

The survey, conducted across all age groups from 18 to 63 years, has 90 per cent of respondents from millennial and Gen Z category and 77 per cent of its respondents are women

New Delhi: Not celebrities or social media stars, a new survey reveals that as many “76 per cent” of Indians are influenced by their family, friends and colleagues when it comes to health choices, especially weight loss goals.

“State of Your Plate”, out on the occasion of World Food Day, is a study of 5,000 people conducted by the fitness technology app Fitelo. It also recorded that while 58 per cent of Indians think of weight loss only when the size of their clothes increases, 46 per cent of them reconsider their eating habits after casual remarks on their body weight by family and friends.

“Unlike popular perception that celebrities and social media stars influence health choices, 76 per cent Indians are more influenced by family, friends, and colleagues to pursue health goals, especially weight loss programmes,” read the survey’s findings.

The survey, conducted across all age groups from 18 to 63 years, has 90 per cent of respondents from millennial and Gen Z category and 77 per cent of its respondents are women. The findings, coming ahead of the start of the festive season in India, shows family get-togethers (57 per cent), festive occasions (44 per cent) and stressful times (35 per cent) as the “three most difficult moments” leading to emotional eating where respondents admitted to giving up on their health goals.

“Surprisingly, 33 per cent women feel that they stress-eat and lose sight of health goals due to family responsibilities, particularly childcare. On the other hand, 35 per cent of men reported that they are more likely to go astray with their health goals at office parties,” read the report. It also noted that where India -- with 57 per cent of them celebrating their achievements with high sugar, high salt and high fat food -- loves to imitate the West’s fast-food trends, they are not following them when it comes to their fitness habits. According to the survey, unlike the West, Indians do not prefer to indulge in high cardio exercises or sports with most of them preferring light exercises at home (46 per cent) or walks (55 per cent). “Only 3 per cent of all the respondents enjoy swimming as a fitness activity and only 6 per cent of them indulge in sports as an everyday activity,” it added.