According to a report, ‘India: Health of the Nation’s States’ by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the “estimated proportion of all deaths due to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) has increased from 37.09% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016.” In this background, Numr Research surveys urban Indians over 8 Indian cities to gauge their awareness towards the lifestyle diseases.

80% of the survey respondents said they undertake various practices to prevent lifestyle illnesses. 16% men reported that they do not take any precautions to prevent lifestyle diseases while 23% women claimed the same.  

 India is, consequently waking up to health, fitness and wellness in a big way. Preventative measures and better food habits seem to be the epicentre of the attention. When asked to choose what they partake in to prevent NCDs, the majority 64% claimed that they engage in physical activities and exercise. This includes playing sports, going to the gym or doing yoga regularly. 50% people reported that they try to follow a proper diet and cultivate healthy food habits, and only 26% people claimed to go for routine health check-ups. 18% of total respondents reported that they do all of the above mentioned practices and 2% reported that they do none. Interestingly, contrary to the majority, only people above 45 reported that they prefer following a proper diet over exercising or engaging in any physical activities. 

It is evident that the Indian fitness and wellness industry is poised for a massive transformation. Rising disposable household income, awareness around health and rising lifestyle ailments plaguing Indians are some of the causes driving this transformation. In fact, according to a report, Google registers around 23 million search for Fitness centres every day. 

The Numr survey also reported the monthly health spends of individuals living in the top 8 cities. The majority 36% revealed that they spend somewhere between INR 1K to 2K on the preventative measure of their choice. 

• 20% respondents reported that their monthly health expenditure is less than INR 1K.
• Another 20% claimed to spend between INR 3K to INR 4K.
• 15% divulged that they spend between INR 4K to 5K
• 9% reported that they spend over INR 5K monthly to prevent lifestyle illnesses

Also, 

• 33% millennials (aged 22 to 35) claimed that they spend over INR 4K on their health ever month 
• 24% respondents aged between 36 and 45 claimed the same, and
• Only 5% respondents over 45 reported that they spend more than 4K monthly

Delhi reported the highest number of individuals spending over 4K monthly, at 35% while Kolkata registered the lowest. (18%)

As echoed by the survey, preventative healthcare in India is booming, especially among the affluent urban class. As per a report titled, ‘Indian Habit of Being Healthy’, Preventative Healthcare Industry is estimated to be around USD 100 billion by 2022, growing at the CAGR of 18%. Healthy consumption (30%) and fitness (27%) form the largest segments of this industry.