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WAKE-UP CALL

Brits don’t start to take their health seriously until the age of 38 – and often only after a scare, study finds

There are 25 common triggers - including gaining weight and a parent passing away

BRITS don’t start to take their health seriously until the age of 38 – and often only after a scare, according to research.

The study of 2,000 adults found starting to have new aches and pains or reaching a milestone birthday were also among the triggers that encouraged them to take better care of themselves.

The NHS website’s page about enlarged prostates received 11 times more visits after it was announced  King Charles is undergoing treatment
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The NHS website’s page about enlarged prostates received 11 times more visits after it was announced King Charles is undergoing treatmentCredit: SWNS

While others were prompted into action after a loved one passed away or experienced a health issue.

Celebrities also play a part in making people take notice, with around one in 30 admitting a famous person suffering a medical problem forced them to take things more seriously.

Following the announcement that King Charles is undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate, the NHS website’s page about the condition received 11 times more visits than the previous day – resulting in one person visiting the site every five seconds.

Dr Elizabeth Rogers, associate clinical director at , which runs health assessments - a preventative health check, said: “It can be very easy to disregard your health – particularly when you are young or you feel that everything is OK.

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“No one wants to think that there might be something wrong, but often the early signs of an issue are not obvious.

“Sometimes it can take a bit of a wake-up call before you start taking your health more seriously, whether that is falling ill yourself or seeing a loved one or even a well-known person experience an issue.”

The study also found 11 per cent of adults admit they still don’t take their health very seriously.

Nearly half (45 per cent) didn’t take much notice at a younger age as they felt broadly fine while 36 per cent simply felt they were too young to need to worry about it.

But 25 per cent felt that nothing bad would happen to them.

In hindsight, 84 per cent feel they took their health for granted when they were younger, and 39 per cent regret not taking more care of their health before they reached their mid-twenties.

Nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) admitted their younger years saw them follow a poor diet, while 30 per cent claim they drank too much alcohol and 28 per cent felt they let stress get to them too much.

However, 30 per cent have been asked by someone else to take more care of their health, including their partner (39 per cent), a parent (33 per cent) or a medical professional (30 per cent).

No one wants to think that there might be something wrong, but often the early signs of an issue are not obvious

Dr Elizabeth RogersBupa Health Clinics

As a result, 45 per cent now try to get enough sleep, 43 per cent drink more water and 34 per cent try to reduce stress to look after their health.

The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 21 per cent are currently unhappy with the state of their physical health, while 32 per cent aren’t happy with their fitness levels.

Dr Elizabeth Rogers, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics, added: “There’s no one-size fits all approach when it comes to health and making even small changes to your exercise regime or diet can make a real difference to both your physical and mental health, as well as helping to prevent future conditions developing.

“We designed our Bupa health assessments to give people a clear picture of their health and wellbeing with personalised metrics to manage their own health – not only flagging potential risks, but setting out clear and realistic goals to make improvements to their overall health.”

TOP 25 REASONS FOR TAKING YOUR HEALTH SERIOUSLY:

1. Starting to have aches and pains you didn’t have before

2. Feeling physically unfit

3. Having a health scare

4. Not losing weight as easily as you used to

5. Reaching a milestone birthday

6. Gaining a lot of weight

7. A family member/friend/partner passing away

8. Suffering with a mental health issue

9. Someone you know having a health scare

10. Falling ill more frequently than you used to

11. A relative having a health scare

12. Becoming a parent

13. Taking longer to recover from playing sports or doing exercise

14. Having a stressful time at work and wanting to make sure other areas of your life were healthy

15. Someone you know dying suddenly

16. Wanting to be an active parent

17. A friend having an issue/scare

18. A feeling that you are catching every bug or illness going round

19. Your parents falling ill

20. No longer getting away without stretching and warming up properly before exercise

21. Reaching the same age as a parent/grandparent who suffered with a health condition

22. Losing a lot of weight

23. A loved one asking you to

24. Reaching the same age your parents were when they had you

25. A celebrity or well-known person having an issue/scare or passing away suddenly

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