Singaporeans doubled down on keeping healthy amid COVID-19 with 3 in 4 making improvements in their health as a result

Takeaways from the AIA Real Rewards Poll 2020 highlight the value of an all-rounded approach to health, and provides insights on opportunities to further support Singaporeans on their health journey

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SINGAPORE - Media OutReach -
27 August 2020 – AIA
Singapore today announced findings from the AIA Real Rewards Poll 2020 which
revealed that:

• As a result of COVID-19,
  two-thirds (65%) of Singaporeans realise that they have been taking their
  health for granted,
• With more than 7 in 10
  (72%) defining the true value of good health as living healthier, longer,
  better lives with their families and loved ones in today’s socially distant
  world, and
• A whopping 93%
  prioritised staying healthy over other pursuits to get through the circuit
  breaker period.
• As a result, a significant
  three quarters of respondents (75%) recorded an improvement in at least one
  aspect of their well-being — whether in terms of improved eating habits,
  physical health, sleeping pattern, or mental health — within 8 weeks from the
  start of the Circuit Breaker in early April 2020.

The study was conducted
amongst 875 participants in mid-June 2020 as Singapore moved into phase two of
safe reopening.

“It is encouraging that, in these trying times, Singaporeans have taken steps
to make positive changes to their health, and they are already reaping the
rewards of these simple actions. Our aim is to support even more Singaporeans
to achieve their health goals, building on this momentum to enable them to
truly live healthier, longer, better lives.

We know that it is not
enough to only take care of our physical health. This is why, as a leading
insurer in the health space, we take a holistic approach to protecting our
customers’ wellbeing across financial, physical, and mental health,” said Ms Melita Teo, Chief Customer and
Digital Officer, AIA Singapore.

The AIA Real Rewards Poll 2020, combined with an analysis of AIA
Vitality members’ health, provided three note-worthy insights for Singapore.

#1: Singaporeans
are adapting by looking beyond keeping active to stay healthy: A well-rounded
approach to health includes eating well and getting adequate sleep

 

Singaporeans did not compromise on eating right as
they continue to spend approximately S$470 a month personally on healthy food,
even as they reduced overall living expenses amid the pandemic. Instead, they
got healthier and saved money by cutting down expenses on junk food and
alcohol. 

• Overall, Singaporeans
  were placing a high priority on making healthier choices, allocating the
  highest portion of the living expenses (34%) on healthier meal choices.

 

Aside from nutrition, Singaporeans are also adapting by paying off their
sleep debt. Adults are recommended to get approximately 7 — 9 hours of sleep
daily[1].

• More than 2 in 5 (43%)
  of Singaporeans have improved their sleeping habits in this period, pointing to
  reduced commuting time as the key reason why.
• This is also reflected in sleep patterns of AIA Vitality members: There were
  twice as many qualifying sleeps tracked on the wellness programme — of at least
  7 hours daily — during the Circuit Breaker compared to the preceding months.

The need to address sleep deprivation is especially critical in
Singapore, which ranks as the third most sleep-deprived city in the world.[2]
AIA launched the #OneMoreHour initiative last year, encouraging people to get
an additional hour of sleep, with a content
hub created to help
improve their sleeping habits.

This follows from a 2019 study AIA conducted which found that 56% of
Singaporeans get six or lesser hours of sleep each night and more than half worry
about not getting adequate sleep or want to get more. 3 in 5 (59%) agreeing
that getting one more hour of sleep would boost their mood and energy.[3]

In addition to the multiple negative impact on health, sleep loss comes
at an economic cost too. Developed economies are estimated to be losing 2 — 3 %
of their annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a result of insufficient sleep.[4]

 

#2: Keeping
healthy helps Singaporeans better manage their mental health: More needs to be
done to ensure Singapore’s mental well-being

 

Unsurprisingly,
approximately 3 in 5 (60%) of Singaporeans are anxious about our
post-coronavirus world.

Keeping healthy has
helped many manage their stress and anxiety:

• Approximately 1 in 3
  (30%) Singaporeans reported improvements to their mental health during COVID-19
  — aided by simple steps such as getting at least seven hours of sleep, eating
  more nutritious meals, and spending quality time with loved ones.
• Multiple aspects of
  keeping healthy contribute to improved mental well-being[5].

 

However, a similar
number of Singaporeans also reported a decline in their mental health due to
increased stress and anxiety (30%). This echoes a worrying trend seen elsewhere
in Singapore as a result of the pandemic. The National Care Hotline, set up in
April 2020 to provide additional support for people facing mental health
challenges, received more than 6,600 calls by the end of the same month with
approximately 1,000 people identified as requiring even more targeted support
thereafter[6].

#3: Singapore
continues to be the most active in Asia, even amid COVID-19: Nurturing a
stronger healthy-living culture a joint responsibility of the public and
private sector

 

Compared to their
counterparts across the region, AIA Vitality members in
Singapore were the most active group:

 

• Despite the pandemic, members
  in Singapore recorded the highest percentage of workouts tracked on the
  programme between January to May 2020 amongst 12 markets across
  Asia-Pacific. 
• Even before COVID-19,
  AIA Vitality members in Singapore have consistently been amongst the most
  active. For members who are active on the programme’s Weekly Fitness Challenge,
  more than half typically exceed the minimum weekly target.

“The success of our
nation’s initiatives to encourage healthy living is evident in the continued
high levels of activity amongst Singaporeans despite the Circuit Breaker
measures, with many finding creative ways to continue keeping fit while working
from home. This is encouraging, and speaks to the immense opportunity we, the
private sector, have to continue nurturing a healthy-living culture in
Singapore and improving the health of our population,” shared Ms Teo.

With more than 100,000
members in Singapore alone, AIA Vitality was the first wellness programme
introduced by an insurer locally in 2013 and has since yielded significant
health results:

• Strong clinical
  outcomes[7]
  for members including improvements in glucose levels, blood pressure, cholesterol
  levels and BMI.
• The impact of AIA
  Vitality has been most salient amongst members who were initially reported to
  be in the unhealthy age. On average, they have gotten “younger”, reversing
  their Vitality Age by approximately 2 years since joining the programme. The
  difference between members’ Vitality Age compared to their biological age has
  since shrunk by half. Vitality Age is a measure of how healthy an individual is
  relative to their actual age.

Designed by medical experts, AIA Vitality stands out for its
well-rounded approach to health. The programme is constantly being evolved to
help members better understand and improve their own health. These ongoing enhancements
are developed based on insights gleaned from data on members’ health
improvements, continued research, and behavioural science, amongst others.

To help individuals and
families in Singapore embrace new norms of reaching their health goals at home,
AIA hosted AIA Live on 2 August 2020, an online event where AIA Global
Ambassador David Beckham, award-winning chef Jeremy Pang and celebrities from
across Asia Pacific came together to explore how to achieve healthier,
longer, better lives together. Local celebrities Andie Chen, Andrew Marko, and
Amanda Chaang were part of the exciting line-up for the day. AIA Live covered multiple aspects of
health and wellness including sessions on fitness, meditation, making healthier
meals, body positivity, and more. A recording of the full AIA Live programme is
available for viewing here: https://bit.ly/AIALive2020SG

About AIA

AIA Group Limited and its
subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest
independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence
in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific — wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in
Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR[8], Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, South
Korea, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei, Macau SAR[9], New Zealand, a 99 per
cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, and a 49 per cent joint venture in India.

The business that is now
AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a
market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance
premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had
total assets of US$291 billion as of 30 June 2020.

AIA meets the long-term
savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and
services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings
plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension
services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners
and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of more than 36
million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group
insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of
The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with
American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market
(ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).