In August 2017 SGE International and H4i asked their patients what they do to keep
fit and healthy, how they rate the availability of products and services and what additional products, facilities and services they would need.
Summarizing we can say that the 300 respondents are a fair representation of the population of internationals registered at SGE international. In average respondents rate them self to be quite healthy (7.7 on a 10-point scale)
What internationals currently do
– Almost 90% engage in some kind of physical exercise, ranging from regular walks, biking to work to intensive sports or workouts.
– 55% watch their diet, take vitamins or other supplements.
– 26% do other things like yoga, make sure they sleep long enough or meditate.
– 3% say they have regular medical check-ups to make sure they keep fit and healthy
Rating activities and available services
– 28% of respondents consider what they do to be (more than) enough, 40% just enough. 32% feel that they do (far) too little or nothing at all.
– 53% of respondents say that lack of time, prevents them to do more to keep or improve their health and fitness.
– 32% say lack of advice or coaching prevents them to do more, while 12% say they ‘don’t know how’.
– At the same time 16% feel that there is a lack of products and services in the area of prevention .
– For 28% the cost is an inhibitor.
– About half (46%) of respondents feel that circumstances in their home country to keep or improve their health and fitness, are about the same as here. One third (32%) believe that these are (much) better while 22% believe the circumstances at home are (much) worse.
– 60% of internationals find that their employer, offers many or some services, followed by other (commercial) providers (47%), healthcare provider / GP (28%) and health insurance provider (26%).
Need for additional facilities and services
Needs are broadly categorized in 4 areas, where the need for medical services was most often mentioned (by more than 40%). Other categories were mentioned by about 20% of participants.
– availability of healthy food (including at work, in supermarkets, as well as counseling by a dietician),
– non-medical facilities and services, including sports and fitness facilities, (physical) group activities, counseling and coaching on sports and workouts;
– medical services, which includes all kind of preventive diagnostics, like annual check-ups, pap smears, blood tests, and
– other, which includes mental health, alternative medicine or (organized) social activities.
Importance of additional facilities is indicated by
– 57% stating that the facilities or services listed, would (very) much improve the circumstances in the Netherlands to keep or improve their health
– 63% that would be willing to pay a fee to cover the costs of these facilities or services.
In 2018 this will be worked out together with partners and internationals.