HEADACHES, SLEEPING PROBLEMS AND SORE THROAT--- MOST COMMON HEALTH COMPLAINTS IN THAILAND: SAYS NIELSEN

THAI CONSUMERS OPT FOR SELF-MEDICATION OVER DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT Key findings from a global health survey conducted by The Nielsen Company has found that headaches, sleeping problems and sore throat are the most common ailments of Thai consumers, and when it comes to their treatment, nearly half of them reach for their usual “tried and tested” medication at home before visiting a doctor. According to Nielsen, headaches are the most common complaint from consumers around the world – and may explain why analgesics are the largest category in the OTC market. Nearly half of those polled in the online survey (42%) claimed to have suffered a headache in the last four weeks. Similarly, the most common complaint among Thai consumers is headache with almost half of consumers (45%) said they had suffered a headache within the last month followed by sleeping problem (30%), sore throat (27%), and cold and pain (25%) while 14% claimed not to have experienced with any health problems lately. ( Table 1) Within Asia Pacific, the Nielsen study uncovered an interesting phenomenon - where China has the world’s biggest insomniacs, with four in 10 Chinese claiming to have suffered sleeping problems in the past month, Singaporeans led the world with 37 percent suffering from a sore throat, a third of Filipinos were coughing more than anyone else and Indonesians tops the world with 44 percent suffering flu in the past four weeks. People in South Korea seemed to be the sickest, suffering from most ailments and topping the global rankings for suffering from colds, indigestion, heartburn and toothaches. At the other end of the scale, Indians, Japanese and Portuguese were the healthiest consumers, with one in four claiming not to have suffered any health ailments at all in the past month. What do people do when they get sick? Nielsen polled 26,486 internet users in 47 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East. In Thailand, 500 internet users aged 15 and above were interviewed at the end of April this year. The most popular way people around the world treat their ailments is to use medicine already in home. Nearly half of Thai consumers (47%) said they reached for their usual ‘tried and tested’ medication at home during times of ill health, about one third ( 36% ) went to see a doctor and about one in five used home remedy (19%) and visited a pharmacy (18%) in search of an over-the-counter recommendation. Interestingly, the survey found 12% of Thai consumers used nothing to heal their illness. ( Table 2) The survey findings reflect some regional differences in the way consumers treat their ailments. In North America, consumers are more likely to seek out pharmacies than visit their doctor. In Europe and Asia, a visit to the doctor came ahead of reaching for non-prescription medication and home remedies, with Hong Kong leading the world with most people opting to see a doctor (51%) when they are ill. Meanwhile, people in Scandinavia and Asia Pacific are also more likely to ‘grin and bare it’ – about one third in Denmark (36%), Norway (33%) and Taiwan (28%) led the global rankings for taking ‘nothing at all’ to cure their health complaints. Pharmacist’s recommendation is the strongest purchase influencer for Thai consumers when they purchase a non-prescription medicine. The Nielsen survey also indicates that once a Thai consumer wants to purchase a non-prescription medicine, the medical professional (77%) is the most important influencer followed by brand/product (45%) and advertising (25%) ( Table 3) . For Asian people, product/brand is the most key influencer for Asian people when making purchase with over 80 percent of Hong Kong, Singaporean and Chinese consumers say they always buy the same ‘tried and tested’ products. 66 percent of North Americans also say they always buy the same brand of self-medication. It’s worth-noting that while one in five global consumers (19%) said they were influenced by advertising or a friend’s recommendation when trying new OTC medications, people in Asia rely on OTC advertising more than any other region when making their decisions, led by China, with 39 percent of Chinese consumers - the world’s highest - saying their self-medication purchasing decisions are influenced by ads. This will be music to the ears of OTC and Pharmaceutical companies in China, who invest heavily to advertise their brands to Chinese consumers who appear to trust them more than they do doctors or pharmacists. According to Nielsen Media Research, Pharmaceutical was the most advertised category in China in 2006, spending a staggering US$9 billion – or around seven dollars for every Chinese citizen – and up 17 percent on the previous year. In Thailand, the pharmaceutical companies invested 1.65 billion Thai Baht on advertising in Thai market in 2006 representing an increase of 10.71% from the previous year. The Survey The Nielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey is the largest half-yearly survey of its kind, aimed at gauging current confidence levels, spending habits/intentions and current major concerns of consumers across the globe. The Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index is developed based on consumer’s confidence in the job market, status of their personal finance and their readiness to spend. The latest survey, conducted in the last two weeks of April, polled about 26,486 internet users in 47 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East. About The Nielsen Company The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com. For more information please contact The Nielsen Company ACNielsen ( Thailand ) Ltd. 26/F United Center, 323 Silom Rd,Bangkok 10500 www.nielsen.com Nitjawan Khooha (Nikki) Email:[email protected] Tel:02-231-1932 ext.132 or 089-7727707 Click for photo release at www.thaipr.net

• ข่าวThe Nielsen Company
• ข่าวo:heal
• ข่าวo:eco
• ข่าวen