In the UK, out of 1,000 people surveyed for 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health, 32% reported fair, poor or very poor health, and that number was higher in those respondents with lower incomes (45%). While that may come as no surprise to many of us who work in the healthcare industry, how people classify what health means to them, who they trust and how they want to be treated by healthcare professionals (HCPs) is changing. People are looking for ways to become more empowered.
Given the changes we have seen in the health landscape since the pandemic, this year we were keen to understand how people are defining what ‘being healthy’ means to them. While it is unlikely to be a surprise that mental (88%) and physical health (88%) were at the top of the list, two other components also featured highly: social health (having people who care for you, not being discriminated against and having someone to talk to freely) was mentioned by 75%; and community liveability (access to a clean, safe, and peaceful community, and having a healthy planet) by 69%. This widening of the definition of health is a clear indication that helping people to be healthy is no longer a case of just treating their illnesses, but now means supporting their wider well-being, providing environments that support healthy living, and ensuring that people have connections to a social infrastructure that supports them as individuals.
One way to improve people’s health is through the adoption of habits such as making better food choices and getting more exercise. Changing or instigating new habits is hard, and while behaviour change models are in plentiful supply, our survey showed that trust in the health ecosystem and having a good relationship with an individual’s primary healthcare provider were two key factors that increased the likelihood of someone making a positive health change.
How do healthcare providers create such a positive and trust-enhancing environment? Some factors that our survey respondents said were important to them are relatively easy to make a part of every touchpoint in the healthcare system:
- As an HCP, make sure you are treating someone’s medical needs; 80% of respondents said this was necessary to feel well cared for.
- 76% of respondents wanted their concerns to be eased through listening, avoidance of judgement and using terminology that can be easily understood and reduces anxiety.
- 61% of individuals in the UK need to feel cared for as individuals through an understanding of not just their health concerns but their own personal circumstances. If, as an HCP, you want people to change their behaviours, 58% of people said it was very or extremely important that you show them that your recommendation is based on data collected from people like them, and the same number of people said it was very or extremely important to acknowledge the burden that the change might have on their life.
- 65% said that it is very or extremely important that they have a way to ask questions and raise concerns.
So, what are the consequences of a gap between what people need and what they feel they are getting? One possible consequence is an increase in the number of people doing their own research on health issues, with nearly three in ten saying they are doing this more than before the pandemic. And 37% of those aged 18 to 34 agreed with the statement that ‘the average person who has done their own research is just as knowledgeable on most health matters as doctors’.
Overall, what is evident from our survey this year is that the health landscape is undergoing significant change. As communicators, working out how to navigate the needs and desires of individuals when it comes to their health will be critical to the future success of our work – if we want to change people’s health for the better.
