For almost 1 in 2 Italians (48%) health represents a complex balance to be achieved, which concerns not only the body, but also the mind. Today more than half of the population (52%) declares themselves satisfied with their state of health, both physical and psychological, and shows great attention to the topic of prevention. It’s therehe photograph of the relationship that links Italians to health, emerging from the fourth edition of the ‘Change Lab, Italia 2030’ Observatory created by Groupama Assicurazioni – the first branch of the French Groupama group and one of the most important players in the insurance sector in Italy – in collaboration with the BVA Doxa research institute.
66% of the sample interviewed – we read in the report – periodically undergo blood/urine tests; 47% follow screening courses; 44% do regular physical activity. However, for only 16% of those interviewed, the general practitioner remains the main and only point of reference in the health sector, while for 36% he represents a central figure but not the only one, since almost 9 out of 10 Italians (88%) declare that they have also consulted specialist doctors in recent years, including above all: physiotherapist/osteopath/massage therapist (34%), nutritionist (27%) and psychologist ( 21%). AND if on the one hand there is trust in the national healthcare system, on the other there is a lack of some services considered necessary, such as: greater access to healthcare services digitally (for 60%); better assistance services in the school network (38%), and the availability of a ‘basic psychologist’ alongside the family doctor (35%) or a real-time online medical consultation (34%).
There survey – conducted in April 2024 on a sample of 1,000 people between 18 and 74 years old interviewed online – which aims to investigate the main trends that will change individuals’ lifestyle habits by 2030, this year analyzed the approach of Italians to the issues of health and well-being, to understand how this will evolve in the next 10 years , with a focus on the main fears that are emerging in this area.
Looking to the future – results from the survey – over 4 out of 10 Italians (42%) express the fear of having to watch their physical conditions worsen without being able to resort to the necessary care: a fear that affects 59% of those interviewed, who declare that they have already signed up or are thinking of signing up for health insurance.
“The investigation confirms how this has occurred in recent years an evolution of the concept of health, in the direction of finding a balance between mind and body, between ‘feeling good’ and ‘feeling good’ – comments Pierre Cordier, CEO and general manager of Groupama Assicurazioni -. If in the past health was linked solely to physical fitness and the absence of disease, today psychological well-being has also taken on a fundamental role, helping to bring out new needs and valorising specific professional support figures, who have become ‘essential’ like family doctors: new health ‘allies’ (including nutritionists, osteopaths, psychotherapists and so on). As insurers, our task is precisely to intercept people’s new needs and their evolution, to identify personalized solutions that can satisfy any type of need, in every area of life.”
“From the investigation a greater awareness emerges compared to the past of what people consider important to respond to their present and future ‘health needs’ – says Michela Vuga, a journalist specializing in health issues, who has dedicated herself to medical-scientific dissemination for over 20 years – The role attributed to prevention is strengthenedthrough correct nutrition, regular physical exercise, routine analyzes and screening, but also – and this is new, because it concerns as many as 9 out of 10 interviewees – through the use of a psychologist/psychotherapistto improve your psychophysical balance. Looking to the future, it is interesting to note how Italians find in digitalisation and technology the prerequisites for improving health, to the point of imagining new professional figures capable of ‘translating’ them into new benefits”.
The data from the Groupama-Doxa Observatory gives us the image of an Italy with two faces. While on the one hand today Italians seem partly satisfied with current healthcare (for 59% it meets their needs), on the other hand, the forecasts for the future of the management of the NHS do not appear rosy; only 22% expect an improvement, while 65% fear a worsening. Furthermore, for 54% of those interviewed the general state of health of the population will worsen in the next 10 years, both from a physical and psychological point of view, and only 4 out of 10 (41%) think that the general practitioner will be able to continue to be the only and main point of reference also in the future.
In the next decaderather, for 6 out of 10 Italians – highlights a note – it will be necessary to guarantee greater access to healthcare services digitally and immediately; for 38% there will be a need for better assistance and preventive medicine services in the school network (experts in sexual and emotional education, experts in nutritional education and so on) and for 35% also a figure of ‘basic psychologist’ who can take care of our psychological well-being, just as the general practitioner takes care of our physical health. Always with a view to mental well-being, the economic aspect is also important: for 56% of Italians, higher economic incomes would guarantee greater serenity, while 35% consider it a valid help to have a bonus available to be used for specific services, such as the support of a nutritionist, a mindfullness expert, a personal trainer, a life coach, to which is added 23% of the sample who aspire to a better work/life balance.
While on the one hand Italians agree in stating that, in the next decade, professional figures such as the psychologist, the nutritionist and the physiotherapist/osteopath will take on an increasingly important role (48%, 19% and 17% respectively), surpassing the centrality maintained up to now by family doctors as the main and ‘only’ points of reference in the health sector, on the other they imagine a future in which even new professional figures will be integrated into the healthcare system, in a true ‘team effort’.
Among the professions of the future that will dominate the scene in the health sector, in first place – according to 41% of compatriots – is the tele-surgeon, a doctor capable of performing complex operations even remotely, using new technologies such as augmented or virtual reality; follows – for 34% – the personal wellness trainer, a professional capable of creating a functional training program and coaching activity for each individual to improve the individual’s diet and potential. Completing the podium – for almost 3 out of 10 Italians – the lifestyle strategistcapable of reading the data collected daily from the medical devices worn by each patient (from food scanners to meditation bands to ECG monitors) to create personalized routines for each one.
Always looking to the futurewhen it comes to prevention, 64% of Italians believe that adopting a healthier and more balanced food system can be an effective measure to maintain good health for longer; just as 63% recognize regular physical activity as another key to staying fit. Yet, despite this greater awareness, there are also many fears. Like that of witnessing one’s physical condition worsen without being able to resort to the necessary care (42%), or the inability to book the visits/exams you might need at the correct time (40%) and the inability to meet healthcare costs (35%). Fears that are often at the basis of the importance attributed to health insurance today.
In this context, the note continues, the Groupama-Doxa Observatory provides a precise reflection of the current situation: if on the one hand today 28% of Italians declare they have already signed one, on the other 31% have not yet signed one policy, but would like to do so soon. For almost 6 out of 10 Italians, therefore, having health insurance is essential, to the point that – in order to take out one – over 4 out of 10 (44%) would give up going out to dinner more often, and almost 3 out of 10 (27 %) to holidays.
Between the motivations: the certainty of being protected in case of any type of problem, both physical and psychological (for 52%); facilitated payment conditions (for 37%), but also the possibility of customizing the type of insurance, depending on specific needs (30%). While, for those who declare that they do not have a health insurance policy, the barriers to signing up are represented by costs that are not always accessible (52%), the existence of other priority expenses (32%), but also by the terms that are sometimes complicated or not very transparent. (18%). And to choose the right policy, half of the interviewees (50%) believe that the advice of an expert consultant from an insurance company is the best path to follow, while 3 out of 10 Italians (35%) rely on the web to find information and 22% on word of mouth from friends and relatives.
“Health and well-being are priceless values, which Italians put first and which today require a 360-degree approach – remarks CEO Cordier – And our task, as insurers, is precisely to support people in their life plans, guaranteeing protection starting from prevention and also in the event of unforeseen events or serious illnesses which can have sometimes significant economic consequences. We know well that each person is different, with specific needs and requirements: for this reason, the care of health cannot be addressed with standardized proposals; personalized solutions are needed, tailor-made for each individual, based on the individual’s requests and economic availability”.
“This is why, in line with the inclusive approach that has always been an integral part of our DNA, our company has developed a modular product such as ‘Groupama Benessere InSalute’: a simple and complete solution, created to facilitate access to greater protection services, avoiding long waiting lists, and aimed at accompanying our customers in prevention, diagnosis and treatment paths. This policy – concludes Cordier – responds to those emerging needs that our Observatory has detected, integrating protections additional ones, which involve new professional figures ‘allied’ to our health (psychologist support services, acupuncture, osteopathy, etc.), but also by making an innovative telemedicine service available to customers, which gives the right to a digital medical record, on where you can upload information or receive prescriptions and recipes (also translated into multiple languages, if you are abroad)”.
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