Allianz Partners’ report highlights critical gap in awareness around chronic diseases

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InfoSociety

Generational Health Insights report emphasises the need for education and empowerment, to enhance quality of life and alleviate the burden on national healthcare systems

(1^st October 2024): Allianz Partners, a world leader in insurance and assistance services, has today launched the Generational Health Insights report and docuseries, offering insights into how today’s population feels about key healthcare topics. Working alongside Joe-Max Wakim, Vice Director of Health at the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies, the report and docuseries explores the opinions of cross-generational contributors, framed by Joe-Max’s extensive knowledge, experience and access to health research data and studies.

The aim of the Generational Health Insights [1] report is to explore how we can better meet the healthcare needs of different generations today, as well as be better ancestors when it comes to addressing challenges and meeting the health and wellbeing needs of future generations in a more sustainable way. As well as the perspectives of our cross-generational contributors, the report also uses data from global studies, citing data and findings from around the world. The report focusses on three main health topics, ‘Living Well’, ‘Mental Health’ and ‘Digital Health’, combined with observations and conclusions from Health Economist Joe-Max Wakim.

Key findings from the Generational Health Insights report, using the input of our cross-generational contributors and data from the global studies referenced within it:

By 2030, 1 in 6 people will be aged 60 years or over [1]. The proportion of older age-groups in our society is increasing, and the risk of getting one or more chronic diseases increases with age. This goes some way towards explaining the fact that in our study, the idea of living to a very old age was not welcomed, unless they could be confident of a good quality of life.
When it comes to chronic (non-communicable) diseases, the leading drivers of illness, disability and healthcare costs [2], killing 41 million people a year, the study showed a stark lack of awareness around what they are and how they can be prevented. There is a key opportunity to educate and empower people to take control of their health, improve their quality of life and ultimately, take pressure off national healthcare systems longer term.
Almost half (47%) of Gen Zer’s aged 12 to 26 often or always feel anxious, and more than one in five (22%) often or always feel depressed [3], and our study reflected the fact that mental health is now cited as almost more important than physical health. With different generations experiencing different challenges around mental fitness, a one size fits all approach won’t work. Support for mental health needs to be taken as seriously as more tangible, physical health concerns, and tailored to at-risk populations.
In 2024, there was a 6,500% increase in prescribed mental healthcare apps. While digital health services and the use of AI in healthcare settings continues to grow and provide benefits, research shows that there will still be a role for human healthcare professionals when it comes to more personal interactions and diagnoses.
Health insurers, health organisations and governments have a job to do to build trust around how personal health data will be used, and explain what the benefits will be, before they, along with consumers, will be able to reap the full benefits of a health ecosystem and more efficiently linked health data.

Mariana Ishchuk, Global Head of Product Management & Innovation at Allianz Partners’ health line of business commented: “We’re delighted to be able to share the thoughts of our cross-generational contributors on some of today’s key health topics, alongside the insights and expertise of Health Economist Joe-Max Wakim. This report reinforces what came out of our States of Mind health report [2] last year. It emphasises the need to focus on preventive care, the improvements that could bring to people’s long-term quality of life, and the positive impact it would have on reducing the strain on national healthcare systems. Clearly there is more work to do, to explain what diseases are preventable, how this can be done and to empower people on the decisions which impact their health.

Mariana continued: “Helping to build a health ecosystem which improves access to quality care is an important part of our vision. This report shows that being transparent and responsible around how health data will be used must be an important pillar of that strategy. I’m excited to see the growth and uptake in digital health services, something we’ve been investing in for some time, particularly in the support of mental health. By putting a greater emphasis on preventive care, tailoring mental health support to at-risk populations and harnessing the potential of digital healthcare and data responsibly, we can continue to make strides in improving health today as well as influencing the wellbeing of future generations”.

To be good ancestors, we need to champion a future of empowered individual health ownership, where technology is harnessed effectively, and data is linked responsibly for the best health outcomes. The full Generational Health Insights report and docuseries can be downloaded here [1].

ENDS

Aisling Devlin, FleishmanHillard: +353 86 0301797/ aisling.devlin@fleishmaneurope.com [3]

FleishmanHillard: allianzpartners@fleishmaneurope.com [4]

About Allianz Partners

Allianz Partners is a world leader in B2B2C insurance and assistance, offering global solutions that span international health and life, travel insurance, mobility and assistance. Customer driven, our innovative experts are redefining insurance services by delivering future-ready, high-tech high-touch products and solutions that go beyond traditional insurance. Our products are embedded seamlessly into our partners’ businesses or sold directly to customers and are available through several commercial brands including Allianz Assistance, Allianz Travel and Allianz Care. Present in over 70 countries, our 22,600 employees speak over 70 languages, handle over 72.9 million cases each year and go the extra mile to offer peace of mind to our customers around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.allianz-partners.com [5]

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Note to Editors:

Cross-generation contributors include:

1. Xinlan, 26, Chinese
2. Rohan, 27, Indian
3. Jelena, 37, Croatian
4. Brad, 39, Australian
5. Euzana, 43, Brazilian
6. Hugh, 55, Scottish
7. Raynal, 67, South African
8. Claire, 79, Danish
9. Maurice, 94, Irish

References:

More information here [13]