print Kantar Media MARS 2013 OTC/DTC Study shows Americans with insurance also tend to be more optimistic about their health outlook
New York, NY, June 27, 2013 -- With full implementation of the Affordable Care Act less than a year away, a new study by Kantar Media shows that American adults who have any form of health insurance generally consider themselves to be healthier and have a much more positive and proactive attitude toward management of their health than Americans who do not have insurance.
The MARS 2013 OTC/DTC Study found that of those adults with any form of health insurance, about half (49%) described their current health as excellent or very good while only 35% of the adults surveyed without insurance felt the same. Further, adults without health insurance were more likely to rate their health as fair or poor compared to adults with insurance.
Perceptions of stress also varied depending on insurance coverage, with stress increasing among those without coverage.
Among individuals who had any form of insurance, 60% said they were very or somewhat stressed versus 68% of those without insurance coverage. The percentage of those who reported being not very or not at all stressed was higher among those with insurance (41%) as compared to those without insurance (33%).
Individuals with insurance generally had a more positive outlook on their health and were more likely to proactively manage it, according to the study results.
Among those with insurance, 60% were very or somewhat optimistic about their future health, while slightly less than half of those without insurance (48%) felt the same way. Furthermore, 63% of those with some form of insurance felt they had complete control or were mostly in control of their health compared to 55% of those without insurance.
“The data suggest that adults who are healthier and more involved with their healthcare tend to also be more proactive in securing coverage,” says Jayne Krahn, VP of Product and Research Operations at Kantar Media Healthcare Research. “This will serve as an interesting base line for measurement as more Americans become insured under the Affordable Care Act.”
Predictably, those with insurance also were more active in accessing health care. Among those with insurance, 65% had a physical within the past year, compared to 35% of those without. Their attitudes regarding the importance of check-ups tended to reflect each group’s likelihood to undergo them as well. For adults with insurance, 65% considered regular check-ups to be extremely important or mostly important versus about half (51%) of those without insurance.
Kantar Media’s MARS 2013 OTC/DTC Study was conducted among 19,420 adults 18 or older through a paper questionnaire. Adults with Internet access were also invited to respond online. This annual study fielded from January to March 2013.
The MARS OTC/DTC Study helps agencies, marketers and media make better healthcare media and marketing decisions. Since 2001 it has been the only dedicated syndicated study in the healthcare industry that ties attitudes, ailments, and pharma brand information to consumers’ multimedia consumption.
For more information on the MARS 2013 OTC/DTC Study, visit http://www.kantarmediana.com/healthcare or www.kantarmedia-healthcare.com.
About Kantar Media
Kantar Media provides critical information that helps our clients make better decisions about communications. We enable the world’s leading brands, publishers, agencies and industry bodies to navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving media industry. Our services include analysis of paid media opportunities; counsel on brand reputation, corporate management and consumer engagement through owned media; and evaluating consumers’ reactions in earned media. As the global house of expertise in media and marketing information, Kantar Media provides clients with a broad range of insights, from audience research, competitive intelligence, vital consumer behaviour and digital insights, to marketing effectiveness and social media monitoring. Our experts currently work with 22,000 companies tracking 3 million brands in 50 countries.