PruHealth and Daley Thomson launch 'Walk the Tube' app

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:38:14 GMT

PruHealth, the UK's fourth-largest health insurer and provider of the Vitality wellness programme, the world's longest-standing incentive-based health improvement solution, has teamed up with Daley Thompson to launch a free 'Walk the Tube with Daley Thompson' app.

While the tube map app will enable commuters and tourists in London to avoid the crush of the London Underground during the particularly busy summer period, it more importantly provides an accessible and cost-effective mechanism for Londoners to make a longer-term commitment to their health by establishing a precedent of walking. This is particularly important when considered in light of the generally low physical activity levels in the capital, and the strong link that exists between walking and improvements in health.

While simple and intuitive, the app provides an array of information related to the journey, plus activity and behavioural motivators, including:
- Step-by-step walking routes with an at-a-glance tube map showing the number of steps between stations
- Built in pedometer that provides a real-time overview of the number of steps, length of time and calories burned on each journey
- Motivational messages from Daley Thompson throughout the journey
- An ability to save regular journeys and maintain a record of walking history to provide a summary of total distance covered, number of steps taken and calories burned
- Real-time alerts that provide updates on the tube service, and allow an assessment to be made on whether it will be quicker to walk or wait for the train.
- Enables users to share details via Facebook

Daley Thompson, a PruHealth Vitality Ambassador said: "It's a well-documented fact that overall levels of physical fitness do not tend to improve and people are not generally motivated by seeing amazing athletic accomplishments at the Games. This is a handy tool that can be easily incorporated into people's lives that could translate the current wave of national pride into personal action to make small changes to every day routines. Not only is it great exercise helping you tone up during the summer, but for visitors and Londoners alike it gives you the opportunity to try new walks, beat your own best times - all whilst discovering the capital's landmarks you would miss while stuck underground."

Neville Koopowitz, CEO at PruHealth added: "PruHealth launched the very first 'Walk the Tube' map seven years ago and this new app is the next logical step to meet the needs of how people now access and use information. Ideally we should all be walking 10,000 steps each day to keep ourselves healthy and we hope this app will show commuters how easy it is to do that at any time of the year and beat travel hotspots at the same time."

The app is available for both iPhone and Android phones and is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

About PruHealth:
PruHealth is a leading private medical insurance and Vitality wellness programme provider which launched in the UK in 2004 in response to a growing need for consumer-directed private medical insurance products. It is a joint venture between UK insurer, Prudential and Discovery, a listed company operating in the health, wellness, life, investment and financial services markets in South Africa, UK, USA and China.

PruHealth has received many industry awards, including the Most Innovative New Product (Health Insurance Awards 2011), Best Use of Marketing to Intermediaries (Health Insurance Awards 2011), Most Trusted PMI Provider (Moneywise Awards 2010), Best Individual PMI Provider (Health Insurance Awards 2010 and Cover Excellence Awards 2010) and Best PMI Provider (Moneyfacts Awards 2009).

Bupa International launches short term IPMI

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:07:35 GMT

Bupa International has launched a new flexible short-term international private medical insurance (IPMI) policy, called Bupa Flex. The product will allow customers to purchase IPMI, but on a 3-11 month basis and anywhere in between, down to the day they require.

Previously, people moving abroad for less than a year did not have the option to buy a short term IPMI product. Bupa Flex will allow these customers to choose the length of their policy, offering them value for money, as well as access to all the benefits of being one of Bupa's international health insurance customers.

Muriel MacCallum, marketing director, Bupa International, said: "We've listened to our customers and designed Bupa Flex specifically for their short term needs. If you are relocating abroad, or travelling on an overseas assignment through work, you don't necessarily want to take out a full year's policy, but you still want the comprehensive cover IPMI provides.

"This new product means that our customers will still have access to the appropriate care and treatment they need, wherever they are in the world (except the USA), through an insurance policy with a timeframe and price that suits their needs.”

Bupa International offers customers access to more than 200,000 medical providers worldwide and can settle bills directly with over 7,500 hospitals and clinics. Customers can contact Bupa International's doctors and advisers for medical advice and guidance, 24 hours a day, and have access to a second medical opinion at no extra cost.

More information about Bupa's short term international health insurance and quotes are available at www.bupa-intl.com/bupa-flex.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors
*Except the USA.

About Bupa International:
Bupa International, part of the healthcare group, Bupa, has provided international health insurance since 1971 and today is one of the leading international health insurers for expatriates in the world.

With customers in over 190 countries, Bupa International offers a range of high quality, flexible health insurance plans for companies and individuals living or working abroad, as well as a range of travel insurance plans. Plans are available for individuals who may wish to receive medical treatment in another country.

Bupa International offers customers access to more than 200,000 medical providers worldwide and can settle bills directly with over 7,500 hospitals and clinics. It also has a medical advice line staffed by a team of experienced, multi-lingual advisers to offer customers support 24 hours a day, every day.

Bupa launches series of cancer support booklets for children

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:48:48 GMT

Bupa has launched a series of booklets to support children when someone close to them has cancer. The booklets are free and available to all and have been developed through consultation with children and the advice of specialists, including Bupa's cancer experts.

Child psychologist Professor Tanya Byron has today said that more emotional support is needed for families dealing with cancer, highlighting the difficulty of helping children to understand the illness. She said: "When we as adults receive information that is devastating to deal with, it's almost harder to tell our children than it is to hear it ourselves. But research has shown that by not talking at all, in order to avoid the painful truth, many parents may be causing excessive levels of anxiety for their children when there are simple steps to manage this.

"Up until now there has been little advice available to help with this problem, which is why these new booklets, available now, are such an important initiative."

The series of four booklets, called 'I Know Someone with Cancer', are aimed at 7-11 year olds. They explain cancer and treatments in a simple and sensitive way, using language and visuals that children can relate to. They also offer children ideas for dealing with their feelings and helping their family in small ways, as well as activities to occupy them at home or at hospital. They can be read independently by the child or used as a guide for discussion.

The initiative is also supported by actor Stephen Mangan, who has been personally affected by cancer and has young children of his own.

Stephen Mangan said: "My family has been affected by cancer and I've seen how hard it is to talk about the illness with loved ones. Now I have two young children I have wondered what I would do in that situation. These booklets are a wonderful tool to help with a very difficult conversation, to help children understand what the adult with cancer is going through and how to cope with their feelings about it."

Dr Katrina Herren, medical director, Bupa Health and Wellbeing, said: "It can be very confusing and frightening for a child to find out someone they love is ill with cancer. We have set out to create something that children can understand and read in their own time and share with their friends and family."

Bupa's dedicated Oncology Support Team takes over 10,000 calls per month from people with cancer and their relatives, who often seek advice on the many emotional, physical and practical difficulties associated with cancer.

Bupa has been providing expert cancer care for over 60 years, funding treatment for over 23,000 people per year and follow-ups and support for an additional 20,000 cancer survivors who have been treated for cancer in the past.

The 'I Know Someone with Cancer' series can downloaded from www.bupa.co.uk/iknowsomeonewithcancer.

About Bupa
Bupa’s purpose is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives.

A leading international healthcare group, Bupa offers personal and company health insurance (including cancer cover), runs care homes for older people and hospitals, and provides workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services.

With no shareholders, Bupa invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare, and fulfil its purpose. Bupa is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.

Employing more than 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.

For more information, visit www.bupa.com

PruHealth reveals Brits are eating less healthily due to rising living costs

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:09:54 GMT

PruHealth has announced that, according to its recent study, every one in five Brits (22%) is eating less healthily due to the rising cost of living.

With the UK dipping back into recession and food inflation on the rise, new data from PruHealth, the health insurance provider that rewards healthy behaviour, finds the continuing rise in cost of living means that 10.6 million Brits are not eating as healthily as they would like to and over half (52%) believe their health has suffered as a result of the recession.

The study, which ran at the start of the financial downturn in 2008 and again this year, highlights the nation's health is sinking further into the doldrums in terms of its eating habits.

Over the last four years 75% of Brits have changed their eating and shopping habits and 85% of these stated the recession and or rising food prices as the cause for the change.

The 'five-a-day' mantra is one of the most high profile Government health campaigns, but the number of Brits struggling to reach the recommended target has increased by 26%. Three fifths (59%) admit they are currently finding it a challenge compared to 47% at the start of the recession in 2008.

More than two thirds (68%) of Brits say healthier foods tend to be more expensive. One in six (16%) respondents said they're buying as much as they can that is 'reduced to clear' and one in ten (11%) only buy foods that are on special offer. Worryingly, around one in four (24%) Brits say they regularly take vitamin supplements because they are unable to eat as healthily as they like or to supplement their diet.

Naturally most parents want to put their children's health first and ensure they have a nutritionally balanced diet, but almost one in five (18%) are doing this at the expense of their own health. One in ten (9%) are even skipping meals so their children eat well.

Dr Dawn Richards, Head of Clinical Service at PruHealth, commented: "We can clearly see how people's healthy eating habits have been affected, with the picture having got significantly worse since the start of the economic downturn. People are only too well aware of the need to eat healthily, but financial constraints are making it difficult, resulting in people's health being negatively affected."

Notes to editors:
2012 data - On behalf of PruHealth, OnePoll carried out an online survey among a nationally representative sample of 2000 people in March 2012. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population.

2008 data - On behalf of PruHealthby Ipsos MORI carried out an online survey among a nationally representative sample of 3,034 GB adults in July 2008. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population.

The information contained in this press release is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk

About PruHealth:
PruHealth was launched into the UK market in October 2004 as a joint venture between Discovery and UK insurer, Prudential, in response to a growing need for consumer-directed private medical insurance products.

PruHealth has received several industry awards, including the Most Innovative New Product, Health Insurance Awards 2011, Most Trusted PMI Provider at the 2010 Moneywise Awards, the Best PMI Provider at the 2009 Moneyfacts Awards, Best use of Marketing to Intermediaries (Brokers) at the 2011 Health Insurance awards and the award for the Best Individual PMI provider at the 2010 Health Insurance Awards and 2010 Cover Excellence awards.

PruHealth Vitality is PruHealth's proven wellness programme that allows all members to get and stay healthy through a range of tools and discounts.

Bupa launches 24-hour HealthLine with GPs and nurses

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:35:04 GMT

Bupa has launched Bupa Anytime HealthLine, a helpline providing around-the-clock, unlimited telephone consultations with a team of GPs and nurses. This is an enhancement of the current nurse only helpline, which is available to all Bupa individual members as part of their health insurance.

In response to demand from members, Bupa Anytime HealthLine is accessible at any time of day, 365 days of the year offering medical advice and health information. With no time constraints, the customer can have a relaxed and full conversation with a medical professional. The caller will speak directly to a nurse, and if further advice is required, a GP will aim to call the member back within the hour.

Sue Moore, Marketing and Customer Development Director, Bupa Health & Wellbeing said: "Many of our members want to be able to speak to a GP or to a nurse at any time of the day or night, at a time that suits them, without having to wait for an appointment. Many of them want to be free to discuss their health concerns or questions for as long as they need, without the feeling of being rushed. They want expert medical advice on anything from stomach upsets and teething babies to sexual health advice or managing a long term condition. They may also be worried about an upcoming procedure and want some reassurance about what to expect. Bupa Anytime HealthLine is there to give our individual health insurance members this advice and reassurance whenever they need it."

For more information about how to buy Bupa individual health insurance and have access to Bupa Anytime HealthLine call 0800 289 577. Calls may be recorded and may be monitored.

-Ends-

About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives.

A leading international healthcare group, Bupa offers personal and company health insurance, runs care homes for older people and hospitals and provides workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.

With no shareholders, Bupa is able to invest profits to provide more and better healthcare. It is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.

Employing nearly 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.

For more information, visit www.bupa.com

PruHealth unveils New Year marketing push

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:53:56 GMT

PruHealth has rolled out its first advertising and marketing campaign in more than three years, in an effort to increase its brand awareness in 2012 and promote the launch of a new raft of partners providing significant benefits and discounts in its unique Vitality wellness programme.

A lynch pin of the marketing effort is a new website which was created by global marketing and technology agency, LBi, and was launched on 2nd January 2012. It has been built to enable consumers to engage with PruHealth in a rich, rewarding way by presenting information in a personalised way depending on what is relevant to and matters most to them. It includes new digital tools such as a Partner Finder map to show where Vitality partners are located in proximity to a specific postcode, and a new Vitality Savings Calculator, which shows how much people could save when they join, based on their personal preferences.

To support the launch of the website and establish PruHealth's brand credentials, creative agency Rapier has developed a press and outdoor campaign called 'Well Rewarded', which builds on three pillars to communicate that PruHealth makes getting and staying healthier cheaper and easier, motivates people with rewards when they get healthy, and looks after them when they become ill.

The campaign, bought by MediaCom in above the line media (national and regional press and 48-sheet posters at rail and tube stations), and by bigmouthmedia in digital media, will run between January to March in the first instance with follow up campaigns planned for later in the year. These will be supported with social media activity including Facebook, YouTube,Twitter and blogger engagement.

Development of the campaign has been led by PruHealth's marketing director, Keith Kropman, who moved to the role from Discovery in March 2011.

He said: "January is typically a time when people are feeling the pinch, both in terms of their waistlines and in their pockets. We are making it easier for them to get healthier and fitter and helping them save money and enjoy life for less. In addition to traditional channels, we are putting a big emphasis on our website and online promotion due to the increasing growth of digital channels amongst consumers in researching and making purchasing decisions about health and health care."

Although other health insurance providers have started to try to emulate the principles of PruHealth's pioneering Vitality wellness programme which was launched in 2004, none offer such rich 'rewards' for the changes people make to live a healthy life. These include discounts with partners such as Vodafone or savings on a range of holidays with partners such as Thomas Cook, Eurostar and Imagine Cruising. PruHealth is also unique in that it can demonstrate that Vitality is more than a marketing gimmick and is based on a wealth of scientific evidence that shows it changes behaviour and makes people healthier and less likely to be admitted to hospital.

The Vitality programme is PruHealth's proven wellness programme that allows all members to get and stay healthy through a range of tools and discounts. What's even better is that the more a member takes part in Vitality, the more PruHealth reward them for it.

PruHealth partners with the National Trust to organise walking festival

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:36:05 GMT

PruHealth and the National Trust have reported that more than 32 million people plan to head outdoors to enjoy an autumn family walk, new research has shown.*

Over 16 million (33%) say it's the season's beautiful colours that makes autumn walking so special.

To celebrate the season and to promote the virtues of being active, the National Trust is holding its first ever National Festival of Walking this October half-term, with at least 50,000 people expected to take part.

The National Trust has partnered with a leading health insurer PruHealth to organise around 1,000 events all over the country, from barefoot walks to silly walks, adventure walks to wildlife walks.

The festival is the perfect opportunity for the public to get outdoors and have fun, especially with 41% of adults saying they don't spend enough time with their families. **

William Wake from the National Trust's outdoors team said: "From leaf kicking to finding conkers and wrapping up warm, there is something simply delicious about an autumn walk.

"We're asking people to tell us what they think makes autumn walks so special, to see if we can identify the perfect formula for a family outing this half term."

Events are taking place at 180 sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 22-30 October.

There will also be more than 800 free walking routes available to download from the National Trust website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/walks.

People can also log their own favourite walks on an interactive map on the website, and join a debate on the best things about autumn walking on the National Trust's Facebook pages or on Twitter using #walkfest from October 20.

Dr Katherine Tryon, Head of Clinical Vitality for PruHealth, added: "The Walking Festival is a great way to get active with the whole family, and there are walks to suit all fitness levels.

"Government guidelines*** recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day, and just thirty minutes of brisk walking each day can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, maintain a healthy weight, improve self-esteem and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

"The average walk at the National Trust is three to four miles, which is approximately 6,000-8,000 steps - well on the way to reaching the target while having a fun day out. When you're healthy, you can get more out of life - come along and see."

Notes to editors:
* Total sample size of family walks survey was 2065 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 7th - 10th October 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). Based on a UK population of 49,122,200 reported by the Office of National Statistics as of June 30 2011. 66% of adults = 32420652 and 33% of that number is 16210326. Calculations carried out by the National Trust. Full results from YouGov available on request from the National Trust Press Office
** http://www.charitytimes.com/ct/Brits_are_lonely_isolated.php
** http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/10000stepschallenge.aspx

PruHealth has received several industry awards. Most recently being the Best PMI Provider at the 2011 Moneyfacts Awards, as well as the Most Trusted Private Medical Insurance (PMI) Provider at the 2010 Moneywise Awards, the Best PMI Provider at the 2009 Moneyfacts Awards, Best use of Marketing to Intermediaries (Brokers) at the 2010 Health Insurance awards and the award for the Best Individual PMI provider at the 2010 Health Insurance Awards and 2010 Cover Excellence awards.

PruHealth finds the nation believes people should take more responsibility for their own health

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:41:19 GMT

PruHealth has revealed new research that shows a third of Britons want people to pay for 'self-inflicted' health issues, two thirds believe the nation is unhealthier now than ten years ago and half expect the range and quality of NHS care to decline over the next few years.

Two thirds (66%)* of Britons believe the nation is unhealthier now than it was ten years ago, and taking more personal responsibility (69%) could be the best foot forward.

The latest findings from PruHealth, the insurer that rewards people for engaging in healthy behaviour, found respondents to be in line with Cameron's 'Big Society'. More than two thirds (69%) of the nation believe people should take more responsibility for their own health, while just 19 per cent feel it should lie on the shoulders of the NHS. Nearly a third of Britons (30%) even go as far as believing those with 'self-inflicted' health concerns caused by smoking, alcohol abuse or being overweight should pick up the bill themselves.

While half of respondents (50%) feel the NHS currently offers a good level of care, many believe the range (67%) and quality (49%) of services are likely to decrease in the next few years.

Dr Katherine Tryon at PruHealth said: "People have realised that the nation’s health is worse than even a decade ago and now the issue is whose responsibility is it to change this - which is particularly crucial at a time when there is increased pressure on healthcare finances. The key for both the public and private sector will be to remove the barriers to healthy living - for example, increasing access to healthy activities and providing stronger motivation through both financial and non financial incentives."

What Brits consider as the nation's problems are not necessarily ones they would class as their own. For example, over half of respondents (52%) state obesity and being overweight as the greatest risk to the UK. According to 2008 data from the latest Health and Social Care Information Centre report** a quarter of adults (25% men, 24% women) are obese, and 42% and 32% of men and women are overweight, yet in this nationally representative survey less than one in ten (9%) of respondents consider it a personal healthcare concern.

Dr Katherine Tryon at PruHealth continued: "While people are aware of an unhealthy nation they are in denial about their own. People need to realise that the 'nation’s health' means them, but it is easy to ignore messages aimed at everybody. It’s easier said than done but making health messages personally relevant is more likely to lead to success.

Combining personalisation with other motivating factors such as incentivising healthy behaviour and making it easier for people to access healthy activities is what PruHealth aims to deliver through its Vitality programme. PruHealth’s members can complete a Health Review giving them a personal Vitality Age reflecting their risk and personalised health goals, before earning rewards for healthy activities in the form of cashback and discounts with PruHealth’s health and leisure partners.

Notes to editors:
* Opinium Research carried out an online poll of 2,019 British adults from 11th - 15th February 2010. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.
** According to 'Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet: England, 2010, The Health and Social Care Information Centre'

About PruHealth
PruHealth was launched into the UK market in October 2004 as a joint venture between Discovery and UK insurer, Prudential, in response to a growing need for consumer-directed private medical insurance products. The company offers health Insurance that rewards customers for looking after themselves.

Bupa boosts cancer cover

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:45:14 GMT

In an industry first, Bupa, the leading international healthcare group, has announced plans to improve the quality of its cancer cover by no longer selling corporate health insurance schemes which feature overall cost or time limits for cancer treatment.

Cancer treatment costs increased sharply in 2005 and 2006 due to the introduction of new drugs. In response to the concerns this caused about rising costs, the health insurance market developed financial benefit caps and time limits to restrict financial exposure for client businesses.

However, experience has shown that these limits mean that patients who claim on their policies can be left vulnerable at critical points in their treatment.

Once employees reach their benefit ceiling they face the possibility of having to change their treatment mid-stream. The varying cost of cancer drugs also makes it very difficult for patients to make informed choices about their treatment path, and its likely cost, at the point of diagnosis.

Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald, managing director, Bupa Health and Wellbeing explained: "We work closely with our clients to help them to provide their employees with the best quality healthcare at a sustainable affordable cost, and this remains a priority for us. We have developed better, fairer ways of controlling healthcare costs without compromising the experience and outcomes of patients at a difficult time in their lives."

In 2010 Bupa spent £18m on drugs that are not widely available elsewhere and it routinely funds cancer treatments that are approved by the European Medicines Agency. Bupa also makes prompt decisions to pay for experimental drugs when clinically appropriate.

Notes to editors
Bupa launched Corporate Select in December 2009 with an option to apply an overall annual maximum benefit. Based on this experience, Bupa has recognised that these limits offer a poor customer experience.

Faced with the reality of what they mean in practice, businesses that signed up to them often choose not to apply them. Bupa currently has a very small number of clients who operate these limits on their corporate policies and it will work with them to find options to manage their healthcare costs.

About Bupa Group:
A leading international healthcare group, Bupa offers personal and corporate health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.

With no shareholders, Bupa invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare. The group is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of health and wellbeing, chronic disease management and ageing.

Bupa reveal that bad sleeping habits are costing employers over £1 billion

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:19:33 GMT

According to Bupa, the British workplace is losing an estimated £1.6 billion a year due to lack of sleep.

The Bupa 'How Are You Britain?' report* reveals sleep-starved workers are taking three extra days sick leave a year compared to their well rested colleagues – costing UK businesses over £280 per annum for every employee.

The report reveals that over a quarter (27 per cent) of the working nation wakes up feeling tired and un-refreshed, with Sunday being the worst night of the week for a bad night's sleep.

Bupa sleep expert, Dr Ian Mak from the Cromwell Hospital said: "Over long periods of time, lack of sleep can affect your decision making, your reactions and your judgement. It may even be a factor in the development of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and mental health problems."

When it comes to sleepless nights, the research reveals that stress is a major contributor.

In Britain, close to a quarter (23 per cent) of workers, report suffering from high levels of stress, with 66 per cent feeling stressed and overwhelmed at least once a fortnight.

In fact in a working year, employees spend 40 per cent (91days) of the time feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

The cost of a bad night's sleep is not limited to sick days. Half of those questioned said they drag themselves into work feeling tired and un-refreshed over 20 times a year.

Shattered workers are 23 per cent less satisfied in their jobs and admit to low levels of productivity (24 per cent) compared to their colleagues.

Banking and finance is the worst affected industry, with employees admitting to feeling tired and un-refreshed on average 34 days of the working year, closely followed by education and government (average 31 days per year).

Dr Mak continued: "The effects of sleep deprivation have led scientists to believe that a good night's sleep is essential for people to be able to function properly on a daily basis."

In the battle of the sexes, men and women are on a fairly equal footing when it comes to sleep deprivation (29 per cent of women versus 24 per cent of men); however women are 35 per cent more likely to take time off work due to lack of sleep than their male counterparts.

Gender is not the only factor that counts; age plays a significant role, with 39 per cent of employees aged 45 to 59 getting over seven hours sleep a night, compared to over half (55 per cent) of under 29s.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:

* Report Content
Findings reported here are taken from the fourth chapter of the Bupa 'How Are You Britain?' report, a yearlong study using a variety of research techniques to understand the ongoing health and well being of the nation.

Research for this chapter was conducted using several different methods including:

Data was collected amongst a nationally representative sample of 7,787 working adults between January – December 2009. The research comes from the Bupa Positive Health Report, the results have been analysed by medical experts.

Research data for this chapter was conducted amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,828 by Fly Research between 5th – 7th October 2010.

External sources, CIPD annual report 2009, absence management

About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives.

A leading international healthcare group, Bupa offers personal health insurance and corporate health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, critical illness insurance, and home healthcare.

PruHealth discovers the young are being hit hardest by the strains of modern life

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:36:31 GMT

PruHealth has revealed that the old adage of 'being over the hill' in later life may need to be revised as it seems the stresses and strains of modern life are hitting the younger generation the hardest.

The latest research from PruHealth, the health insurance provider that rewards policyholders for being healthy, has found that today's 20-somethings feel three years older than their birth certificate states and the average 30-something feels their actual age, but the average Brit aged 40+ feels 11.5 years younger than their actual age.*

However, 20-30 somethings seem to have energy levels closer to those of retirees. More people in their 20s and 30s have a dip in their energy levels throughout the course of the day than any other age group, while 12% of 30-somethings don't feel energetic at any point during the day at all - compared with only 6% of people in their 60s.

The research highlights how people in their 20s and 30s live unhealthier lifestyles than those in their 40s and 50s, which could be the reason for the younger generation's sluggish energy levels and feeling older than their years. The top three reasons for lower energy levels were identified as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and not getting enough sleep. However, little action appears to be being taken to counteract this with only 47% saying they eat a balanced diet, 18% never exercise, and a quarter sleep for less than 6 hours a night.

The older generation tends to follow a more balanced diet, eats less unhealthy foods such as takeaways, and participates in a similar level of exercise compared with the younger generation. However, as the over 40s require less calories than the under 40s** this could be the key to their youthfulness.

Interestingly, people of all ages who feel younger than their real age are more likely to feel most energetic in the morning, while those who experience a peak in energy levels in the afternoon are more likely to feel older than their actual age.

Shaun Matisonn, CEO, PruHealth, said: "While it's wonderful to see that the older we get, the better we feel, the energy levels of those under 40 clearly needs more attention. This age group need to get more exercise - and more sleep - eat healthily and follow more active lifestyles to help boost their energy levels.

"Finding time in your 30s to exercise and eat healthily can be especially difficult while you're juggling a career and looking after a young family, but incorporating small steps in your daily routine, such as getting off the bus a stop early and snacking on fruit rather than crisps, can help make all the difference."

Please note:
The information contained in Prudential UK's press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer medical insurance product information can be found at www.pruhealth.co.uk.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors:
* Online poll carried out on behalf of PruHealth by Opinium Research LLP with 2,004 British adults on 14-18 August 2009. Results weighted to nationally representative criteria.

** The NHS advises older people may need to eat less than they used to if they are less active. Direct Gov states a major reason for age-related weight gain is the slowdown of metabolic rates.

About PruHealth:
PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings the private healthcare provider from South Africa. PruHealth now covers over 210,000 lives and in a sample of customers, one third said they had changed their behaviour for the better because of its healthy lifestyle in the workplace is part of their role as a responsible employer. Furthermore, 83%** of employees stated that an employer's attitudes to health and wellbeing are an important factor when looking for a new role, which means providing a health and wellbeing programme has never been more important to help attract and retain quality.

Firms also believe health initiatives can help increase staff morale, improve productivity and reduce absenteeism as a 'halo' effect of a healthier workforce. Additionally benefits of encouraging a healthy culture in the workplace are also evident, with 51% of larger firms and 38% of SMEs experiencing a drop in absenteeism since introducing wellbeing initiatives.

With sickness and absence costing UK plc £20 billion a year*** larger firms with over 250 employees are actively encouraging a healthier and happier workforce as part of their responsibility as employers. As well as introducing initiatives, 81% of senior management are leading by example and engaging in healthy behaviour in the workplace, like sponsoring employees' charity fun runs (55%), taking part in exercise classes and sports teams at work (49%) or eating healthily in the office (35%).

With economies of scale proving a barrier for some companies, only 33% of SMEs offer health initiatives to staff. However, 47% of SME senior executives said they are setting a good example through healthy behavior and taking part in exercise classes and sports teams at work.

Shaun Matisonn, CEO, PruHealth commented: "When it comes to health and wellbeing programmes in the workplace, we are seeing a turning point in UK businesses. The provision of these programmes and investment in employee health are no longer peripheral issues, they are core concerns. Not only are employees demanding these types of employee benefits, but with the pressures of the current economic environment, fostering a healthy workforce has never been more important to help aid both morale and productivity.

"Having now built this momentum, companies must be careful not to throw money away on poorly executed health and wellness strategies. It is all very well having these programmes in place, but employee engagement must be actively and continuously encouraged. It is understandable that employee numbers in small and medium-sized firms may be an obstacle to putting together a football team or exercise classes, but there are lots of smaller-scale initiatives to get staff involved, such as using pedometers and providing fruit bowls.

PruHealth's Vitality incentive programme enables smaller companies to provide a full 'blue-chip' range of healthy activities for employees as part of their corporate private health insurance, enabling companies of all sizes to benefit from a healthier workforce.”

-Ends-

The information contained in Prudential UK's press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions. Full consumer product information can be found through the Prudential website.

Notes to Editors:
* Research carried out on behalf of PruHealth by Opinium Research LLP. 123 managers of larger firms (over 250 employees), 100 managers of SMEs and 994 employees were questioned online in March 2009. Results weighted to be representative of the adult British population.
** B

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