Health is personal, and the way consumers learn and make decisions about their health is personal, too—at every step in their journey.
By understanding the motivations and challenges consumers experience throughout their health journeys, marketers can develop more targeted and effective strategies. You not only can connect with consumers more authentically but also equip them with the necessary tools, at the right time, guiding them to actively pursue better health.
That understanding has become clearer due to a recent Healthline Media study of 2,985 U.S. adults, illuminating the diverse mindsets and behaviors shaping consumer decision-making in health, and how those mindsets shift over time.
Here are some trends we uncovered:
1. Consumers are feeling a fresh surge of health enthusiasm. Marketers have an opportunity to resonate with early adopters and trendsetters, those who are today’s most-engaged health consumers. Research shows they’re willing to invest in high-quality services, specialists and products that help them meet their goals.
- Consumers are looking for health information: Two in five consumers actively seek information to enhance their wellness.
- Millennial consumers feel great: 42% feel their health is very good or excellent, compared with 35% on average.
2. Many aren’t sure how to work toward their health goals. One in five consumers recognize the need to improve their health, but struggle to find health-management plans and adopt new habits. Marketers can do more to clarify concepts and build consumer confidence by providing step-by-step, tailored guidance for their goals.
- Consumers want to lose weight: Eating better (59%) and increasing activity levels (56%) are the most common goals, but the highest-ranked top goal is losing 20 or more pounds, with 65% saying that the main benefit of losing weight would be better health.
- Yet most lack motivation: 55% of those who want to improve their health report difficulty making lifestyle changes due to lack of motivation.
- Many need substantial guidance: 43% of this group express uncertainty about what specific changes to make, which products to use or what foods to incorporate into their diet.
3. Costs and stress undermine healthy action. When consumers are overwhelmed, they are more susceptible to decision fatigue. Marketers must speak to these barriers directly when possible, which could mean proactively offering cost solutions or building supportive community spaces.
- Cost concerns prevent action: 43% of health seekers cite affordability as a barrier to a healthy lifestyle, and 39% of those who lack confidence in health care cite financial constraints and inadequate insurance coverage.
- Consumer stress levels are high: About half of U.S. adults want to reduce stress, which is often caused by financial pressures (54%), job issues (37%) or mental health conditions (27%).
4. Too many still lack trust in health systems and sources. Trust is the cornerstone of consumer confidence and action. By grounding resources in medical accuracy and offering real value, marketers can help consumers build trust, ask for personalized health help and make the most informed health decisions.
- Consumers hesitate to trust: Nearly half of U.S. adults report a lack of confidence in the health system.
- Most are skeptical about sources: 71% of people consult multiple sources to verify health information. Gen Z and millennials are especially likely to turn to diverse sources, including social media and online forums.
- Many are sensitive to marketing: 59% of consumers express doubt about online health and wellness content, often suspecting that it is primarily designed to drive sales.
Support the consumer at each step to empower confident decision-making
For marketers in the health and wellness sector, understanding the nuances of consumer behavior is crucial for shaping effective strategies. You need to ask and be able to answer: What does each person need at each pivotal point in their health care journey?
Today, consumer insights and real-time data offer marketers the ability to truly align with, and support, each person’s personal health journey. Enthusiastic or goal-setting health consumers often choose to raise their hands and ask for help or information related to specific topics. With this information, marketers can deliver personalized resources in real time that provide next steps and encouragement.
Connecting consumers to additional resources, like coupons or online communities, further helps them avoid decision fatigue and build confidence in their health decision-making. Of course, consumers won’t engage this deeply in just any ecosystem; they prefer to go where they know information is medically vetted and trustworthy.
By working with platforms like Healthline Media, marketers can access the data to effectively engage, empower and drive healthy actions for consumers. As a trusted brand and partner, together, we can deliver experiences that make a lasting impact.
