• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Many People Continue to Make Health-Related New Year's Resolutions, but Meeting Those Goals Remains a Challenge

Posted on: Wednesday, 7 February 2007, 18:00 CST

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Healthcare Poll, a majority of U.S. adults admit to at least one unhealthy habit, like needing to lose weight, not getting enough sleep, eating an unhealthy diet or not exercising enough. This is true for both men and women. Most adults appear to be contented to continue as they are; and both men and women are somewhat less likely to have made a health-related New Year's resolution for 2007.

These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,395 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) between January 3 and 5, 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition (http://www.wsj.com/health).

Health resolutions for 2007

Approximately four in 10 (44%) adults have made at least one health- related New Year's resolution for 2007, down slightly from last year's 48 percent. As in prior years, women are more likely than men to take on a health-related resolution for the New Year. Furthermore, the poll found:

-- Though 60 percent of adults say they needed to lose weight in 2006, only 27 percent resolved to do so in 2007. -- Men are less likely this year (21%) than they were last year (28%) to make a resolution to exercise more frequently. Success of health resolutions in 2006

Three health-related resolutions are perennially most popular; including losing weight (27%), exercising more frequently (26%) and eating a healthier diet or eating less food (26%). Achieving these goals, however, remains a challenge for most people. Fewer than half of all adults who made a resolution in 2006 to eat healthier or eat less food, exercise more frequently or lose weight feel they were successful in meeting those goals (48%, 39% and 34%, respectively). On a positive note, a majority of adults (60%) who resolved to do a better job of taking their medications as prescribed by their doctors feel they were able to accomplish that goal, and the same is true for more than half (56%) of those who wanted to consume less alcohol.

TABLE 1

HEALTH HABITS IN 2006

"Thinking about 2006, did any of the following items describe you personally

at that time? Please select all that apply." Base: All adults All Adults Gender Males Females % % % Needed to lose weight 60 52 67 Didn't get enough sleep 56 54 58 Ate an unhealthy diet or ate too much food 50 49 51 Exercised strenuously fewer than four days per week 39 40 38 Didn't relax enough or take enough time off work 29 27 30 Smoked on a regular basis 19 18 20 Consumed more than two alcoholics drinks per day 11 14 8 Failed to take medications as instructed by my doctor 10 8 12 None of these 10 12 8 Note: Multiple-response question. TABLE 2 PRIOR EXPERIENCE MAKING NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS "Did you make any New Year's resolutions last year to be accomplished in (2005/2006)?" Base: All adults Resolutions for 2005 Resolutions for 2006 All Adults Males Females All Adults Males Females % % % % % % Made a New Year's resolution in the prior year (NET) 41 36 46 37 31 43 Exercise more frequently 26 23 29 21 17 24 Lose weight 25 18 32 21 16 26 Eat a healthier diet or eat less food 24 20 28 19 13 24 Get more sleep 11 11 11 9 8 11 Stop smoking 6 6 6 5 5 4 Participate in stress-relief activities such as yoga or meditation 5 3 7 4 3 5 Take my medications as prescribed by my doctor 4 4 5 3 3 3 Consume less alcohol 3 3 4 3 3 3 Other 4 4 3 6 5 7 I did not make any New Year's resolutions for prior year 59 64 54 63 69 57 Note: Multiple-response question. TABLE 3 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR THIS YEAR "What New Year's resolutions, if any, have you made for (2006/2007)?" Base: All adults Resolutions for 2006 Resolutions for 2007 All Adults Males Females All Adults Males Females % % % % % % Made a New Year's resolution for this year (NET) 48 43 52 44 38 50 Exercise more frequently 30 28 32 26 21 31 Lose weight 29 22 35 27 22 32 Eat a healthier diet or eat less food 29 24 33 26 22 30 Get more sleep 15 13 17 15 11 18 Stop smoking 6 7 6 5 5 6 Participate in stress-relief activities such as yoga or meditation 6 4 8 5 3 8 Take my medications as prescribed by my doctor 5 4 5 5 4 5 Consume less alcohol 4 4 3 3 3 3 Other 7 6 8 8 7 8 I have not made any New Year's resolutions for this year 52 57 48 56 62 50 Note: Multiple-response question. TABLE 4 SUCCESS WITH PRIOR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS "Which resolutions for 2006 would you say you succeeded in?"

Base: Made a particular New Year's resolution for the prior year [variable base]

2005 2006 Total Males Females Total Males Females % % % % % % Take my medications as prescribed by my doctor 52 59 48 60 67 56 Eat a healthier diet or eat less food 50 55 46 48 40 52 Exercise more frequently 43 47 40 39 46 35 Participate in stress-relief activities such as yoga or meditation 42 54 37 36 55 27 Consume less alcohol 42 42 41 56 47 65 Lose weight 36 36 36 34 31 36 Get more sleep 32 36 28 23 26 20 Stop smoking 24 27 22 37 44 29 Other 68 80 53 56 49 61 None 32 27 36 36 38 35 Note: Multiple-response question. Methodology

Harris Interactive(R) conducted this online survey within the United States between January 3 and 5, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,395 adults, ages 18 years and over. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,395 adults, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About The Wall Street Journal Online

The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company , is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 811,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q4, 2006.

The Online Journal offers three industry-specific verticals: the award- winning Health, Media & Marketing and now Law. Health offers authoritative analysis, breaking news and commentary from top industry journalists. Media & Marketing is designed for professionals in the advertising, marketing, entertainment and media industries. Law is designed to provide law firms and attorneys timely information on events and trends important to the legal market. Subscribers to these verticals also get access to the full content of the Online Journal.

In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology Service for the third consecutive year. The Wall Street Journal Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and CollegeJournal.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at http://go.hpolsurveys.com/Health.

Press Contacts: Jennifer Cummings Harris Interactive 585-214-7720 Christine Mohan Dow Jones & Company 212-416-2114 Harris Interactive Inc. 2/07

Harris Interactive

CONTACT: Jennifer Cummings of Harris Interactive, +1-585-214-7720; orChristine Mohan of Dow Jones & Company, +1-212-416-2114

Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/http://www.wsj.com/healthhttp://go.hpolsurveys.com/Health

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category