New research carried out by Core sheds light on how Irish adults manage their health, fitness, diet and well-being and how brands can tap into each of the five key cohort groups which have been identified in the research.
The largest group has been called Active Foodies and accounts for 38% of all adults. These are people who exercise at least once a week and who monitor their food diet.
According to the research, Active Foodies are more likely to be young families that are looking after themselves as well as their children, which means they have less time for sleep, personal care and communicating with friends. Some 78% of this cohort consider themselves to be healthy and although they don’t have the luxury of spare time, they still make time to exercise and improving their overall health.
They are also more likely to pursue exercise that can be done from home such as Yoga and Pilates. Although this is Active Foodie cohort is time poor, there is an opportunity for brands to reward or constantly remind this cohort that they are on the right track.
The second biggest group identified by Core is called the Active Non-Foodies who make up around 18% of all adults. According to the research, Active Non-Foodies are a younger, more carefree segment when it comes to eating but exercise is still a big part of their lives. They tend to be young males who are either single or married without kids meaning they have less responsibilities and can focus on their personal physical fitness.
The key takeout for brands trying to target this group is there are opportunities to communicate and support them on healthy eating, providing inspiration and education on meal ideas, according to Core.
The next largest cohort is the Active + Foodies, who make up 17% of all adults. Active + Foodies are evenly split between men and women, and they tend to be older people who have more time to manage their health. They are almost twice as likely to be married as opposed to single with no children in the household, according to the research. They are also more likely to be urban, ‘empty nesters’ and twice as many consider themselves to be “very healthy” when compared to the general population.
As this cohort actively manages their physical, nutritional and mental health, this provides brands the opportunity to offer support along the way. “They are unique from other cohorts as they do not require rigid health management but instead efforts should be made to facilitate their needs along their journey,” the research notes.
The fourth cohort identified by Core are the Inactive Foodies who account for 12% of all adults. Some 38% of Inactive Foodies work full time and they tend to spend more time looking after others and have less time to exercise or socialise. Apart from working full time, Inactive Foodies are also more likely to be trying to manage a family with children. Just just 6 in 10 consider themselves to be healthy and they tend to focus less on their mental health compared to Active Foodies and Active + Foodies. Brands can encourage this busy and stressed cohort to re-focus and provide accessible ways to manage these aspects of health.
The last group identified by Core is the Resters, who account for around 15% of all adults. With many within this group struggling to deal with stress, Resters are also more likely to be women as part of a young family where their children are pre-teens. They too are constrained by time when it comes to looking after their health and a lack of ability to start focusing on a wholistic approach to health.
As this group needs the most emotional support and empathy, according to Core, brands need to support Resters in an appropriate manner “and provide realistic approaches to manage health.”
A full copy of Core Research’s “A Report on the Health of the Nation” can be downloaded HERE
