The report, which is based on the aggregated and anonymised data of 50L+ people who used the Eka Care app in 2022, showed 44 per cent of Indians waited longer than a month to check their symptoms and, in the 20–40 age group, which has the most therapy-goers, two times more men than women go to therapy
Bengaluru-based health tech platform Eka Care has released Eka’s Annual Health Report for 2022, which reveals the health patterns and preferences of different demographics of India. The report, which is based on the aggregated and anonymised data of 50L+ people who used the Eka Care app in 2022, showed 44 per cent of Indians waited longer than a month to check their symptoms and, in the 20–40 age group, which has the most therapy-goers, two times more men than women go to therapy. Moreover, Uttarakhand had the highest hemoglobin and cholesterol levels, and diabetes was the most checked condition in 2022.
Commenting on the findings, Eka Care’s Founder and CEO, Vikalp Sahni, said, “Our Annual Health Report 2022 is an attempt at presenting some of the trends that defined over 50 lakh Indians’ health practices in 2022. As a personal health record (PHR) platform approved by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, we aim to provide seamless and simplified digital health solutions and innovate and improve them. We hope it will interest people seeking greater insight into nationwide health trends.”
The findings also show that the health issues prevalent in men are different from those in women. Apart from gender, Eka Care has attempted to provide insight into the health of people from different locations and age groups, which was also found to have huge differences.
Some takeaways from the report
44 per cent of Indians waited more than a month to check their symptoms
Health is a significant aspect of people’s lives. However, most people attend to it only when it’s critical. This is mostly because there’s no immediate advantage, there’s too much effort involved, or health is too hard to understand.
Accordingly, Eka Care’s data shows that only 37 per cent of users got their symptoms checked within a week. The rest of them were habituated to ignoring them for more than a week and, sometimes, even passed an entire month without paying attention to their symptoms.
Additionally, 65 per cent of people with a family history of chronic health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and premature heart disease reported significant unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as unhealthy eating (25 per cent), lack of exercise (25 per cent), alcohol (13 per cent), and smoking (2 per cent).
24 per cent of Indians took the precaution dose
The multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic made people more cautious about their health and prompted them to take their vaccinations seriously. Based on recent data, in the last 2–3 months, 8 per cent of people took their first dose, and 68 per cent completed their second dose. Moreover, 24 per cent of people completed taking the third, precaution dose.
An overwhelming percentage of people (82 per cent) opted for the Covishield vaccine. Covaxin was opted for by 16 per cent, while 2 per cent chose other types. No particular factor behind this preference has been determined yet.
The data also shows that nearly 30 per cent of people took their second dose of the Covishield vaccine within the first week of the recommended vaccine schedule.
Hemoglobin and cholesterol levels were a huge concern for Indians
The people of Uttarakhand had the highest hemoglobin and cholesterol levels. Particularly, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were found to have a close relationship with high cholesterol levels. Moreover, Assam had the highest number of people with irregular hemoglobin levels, and in Odisha, blood reports of 54 per cent of people showed normal levels of hbA1c.
In Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 70 per cent of people who took a test for the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were found to suffer from hypothyroidism.
People living in Gujarat had the lowest Vitamin B12 levels.
In Maharashtra, about 50 per cent of people who underwent Vitamin D tests found it to be within normal levels.
Women’s hemoglobin levels were significantly lower than men’s
Compared to men, women’s hemoglobin levels were notably lower, but their mean heart rate was higher. This was in line with the medically proven relationship that when hemoglobin is low, the heart beats faster to pump blood.
Men’s cholesterol levels were much higher than women’s
Cholesterol was a serious concern for men in the 30–40 age group. Cholesterol levels for men far exceeded those for women. Factors such as unhealthy food habits, smoking, drinking alcohol, and lack of exercise often lead to high cholesterol levels.
Diabetes was the most checked condition in 2022
Diabetes was the most checked condition in 2022. Moreover, people below 50, mainly women, visited diabetologists. However, after 50, men took the lead.
Different genders, different doctors
One of the key findings was that the health issues most common in one gender are different from the health issues common in the other. On the one hand, the top five specialty doctors that men visited most in 2022 were nephrologists, oncologists, urologists, physiotherapists, and cardiologists. On the other hand, among women, the most popular choices were gynecologists, rheumatologists, pulmonologists, dermatologists, and homeopaths. More men consulted cardiologists and urologists than women.
Women were prescribed more nutritional supplements, and this difference between genders was more noticeable in the years of female fertility. Folic acid was the most prescribed supplement for women in 2022.
2x more men than women go to therapy in the 20–40 age group
People going to psychological therapy were mostly in the 20–40 age group. In this age group, two times more men than women went for therapy. However, therapy-goers drastically dropped in the 50+ age group.
Conclusion
Overall, the report emphasises the importance of being aware of one’s health and taking preventative measures.