'Indians are becoming more aware about their health and health care needs and are increasingly using Internet to seek answers.'

Indians are becoming more aware about their health and health care needs and are increasingly using Internet to seek answers.

New international research released today by Max Bupa has found that of more than one third Indians (39 %) go online for health information. The percentage of people using the internet for finding health solutions in other emerging nations are Russia (39 %), China (32 %), Brazil (29 %) and Mexico (27 %). The high cost of face-to-face consultations with medical professionals may be one reason for this, with the internet seen as a cheaper alternative.

The research also indicates that use of the internet to search online for health information varies with age and its use drops sharply in those aged 35 and over across the 12 countries. Higher levels of education and income are associated with higher levels of online searching. The primary use of the internet for health purposes is finding information about medicines (68 % of respondents) in all countries. Other uses include searching for information to make a self-diagnosis (46 %) and seeking other patients’ experiences (39 %).

There are significant variations amongst the countries in Bupa Health Pulse 2010 though. 87 % of respondents in Russia made use of the internet to obtain information on medicines, followed by 76 % in Mexico. The lowest rate was seen in China (60 %). Russia was also among those countries that had the highest proportion of internet users seeking information to help make a self-diagnosis, along with the US (58 %), the UK (58 %) and China (56 %). In countries such as the UK and France only 12 % and 14 % of respondents respectively were looking for information on medical professionals, compared with 36 % in the US and India. The survey also indicated that nearly 28 % of the respondents from India in the higher income bracket made use of the internet to search for information often compared with 21 % of the lower and middle income groups. 26 % of those with graduate level education in India made use of the internet for online health information searches more often compared with 19 % and 16 % respectively for those with primary/ secondary or technical/vocational level education.

More young people (in the age 18-24 and 25-34 bracket) have used social media to find out about health.18 % of respondents were using social networking sites to find out about healthcare issues and most of the top healthcare websites are largely geared towards the scientific and academic communities and individuals from the US and India are their main users. Lower levels of Facebook use are found in non-English speaking high income countries such as Germany and Spain; however this in part reflects the presence of strong local alternative social networks.

Commenting on the Bupa Health Pulse 2010 survey findings, Ms Shefali Chhachhi, Director-Marketing, Max Bupa Health Insurance said, “ There is a plethora of information available on the internet and now people have begun to use online health-related information to help them understand various health related issues and make more informed choices. In a country like ours the use of internet and social media will be a key source for seeking health care information and advice. As their health care partners, we offer our customers access to information on health and well being through our website and in direct communications with our customers.”

For more information on the Bupa Health Pulse 2010 survey and the report “Online Health: Untangling the web”, please visit www.maxbupa/healthpulse.com

Notes to Editors
Bupa Health Pulse 2010 Research:

• Ipsos MORI interviewed 12,262 members of the General Public across 12 countries between 10 June and 14 July 2010. These were: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, UK and USA.
• All interviews took place through Ipsos online panels and Ipsos panel partners.
• Quotas were set as to be nationally representative by gender, age and region across all countries with the following exceptions:
• Brazil, China, Mexico and Russia: the quota for age was set to be nationally representative up to the age of 50.
• India: quotas were set on age, gender and region to be representative of the online population.
• Data are weighted.
• Technical note: Ipsos MORI surveyed 1,004 members of the public in India. The survey was conducted online and should be considered representative of India's online population.

Additional key International insights from Bupa Health Pulse

• 8 in 10 people (81%) around the globe who have the internet use it to search for advice about their health, medicines or medical conditions.
• Russians search for health advice the most on the internet (96%) followed by China (92%), India (90%), Mexico (89%) and Brazil (86%). The French search for health information the least (59%).
• Women are more likely (86%) to use the internet for health reasons than men (77%).
• Nearly 7 in 10 (68%) have used the internet to look for information about a medicine with the second most popular use being to make a self-diagnosis (46%).
• Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) use it to look for other patients’ experience of a condition.
• The US and UK are more likely than any other nation to have looked for information online to make a self-diagnosis (58% of both populations have done this) followed by China and Russia (both 56%).
• Fewer Brits have searched for information about a doctor online than any other nationality (only 12%).
• Fewer Spanish (10%), Brits and Americans (both 11%) have posted a comment or question about a health condition than any other nation – the Russian s(35%) and Indians (33%) are more likely to do so.
• Younger people (18-24 and 25-34) have used social media to find out about health issues – approximately a quarter of this age group have posted comments/questions or used a site such as Facebook or MySpace to find out about health issues. This percentage decreases with age.
• Across the globe, people say that they can already book a doctor’s appointment online (21%) and email their doctor (20%).
• Nearly 6 in 10 Spanish (59%) say they can book a doctor’s appointment online.
• More people in India (email: 36%, text: 35%) and Mexico (email: 38%, text: 35%) report being able to text and email their doctor than elsewhere in the world.
• More people in the US (37%) say they can order repeat prescriptions online than any other country followed by the UK (27%) and India (17%).
• Over half (56%) state they would like to be able to access their medical records followed by those who would like to book a doctor’s appointment (48%) and order repeat prescriptions online (47%).
• 12 % say they check their health by using free online health questionnaires. The majority (58%) do so by going for a regular check up with their doctor.

Insights from the LSE report, ‘The role of the internet and social media in healthcare’:

The consequences of poor – or inaccurate – information can be serious, not only might it lead to needless worry, unnecessary consultations, over-use of health services and/or a delay in appropriate diagnosis, but in some circumstances such information might also lead to false hopes, unnecessary costs and harm to health arising from the use of unproven, ineffective, or even deliberately bogus treatments.

Providing more and better information about health may help empower individuals but it is becoming even more difficult to ensure that online health information is accurate. Information is contradictory; difficult to find whether the source of information is linked to any commercial activity.

One consequence of the more limited access to computers in rural areas of China as well as the increased use of mobile phones has been that most major health information websites have been designed with mobile phones use in mind. It has been suggested that future investment in health information delivered by mobile phones may prove a feasible alternative to investment in fixed line internet technology.

Mobile phone technology is likely to play an important future role in increasing online access to health information in other emerging economies 17 per cent of all mobile phone users and 29 % of all those mobile users aged 18 to 29 are using their phones to obtain health information. This is reflected in the fact that three of the top five searches on Yahoo originating from mobile phones are related to sex: pregnancy, herpes and STD

Patients are empowered through being better informed of their symptoms for whenever they start feeling worried of certain symptoms, they can check online first and gain some understanding of the disease and treatment options. Online health information may also be used to fill perceived gaps in the information provided by healthcare professionals.

The use of internet services are particularly popular with some population groups such as young people who have been shown to make use of online health information because they value the anonymity and quick response, especially when looking for information on subjects such as sexually transmitted diseases or addictive disorders.

About Max Bupa Health Insurance

Max Bupa Health Insurance is a 74:26 joint venture between Max India Limited, a $1.6 billion multi-business corporate with expertise in life insurance and health care and Bupa, a leading international healthcare provider with over 60 years of healthcare knowledge. Max Bupa brings together a combination of Bupa’s global health insurance expertise and customer service expertise with Max India’s understanding and experience of the Indian health and insurance sectors. Max Bupa offers quality health insurance services through a dedicated team of over 500 people and its network of offices across nine cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Surat. Max Bupa offers individual and family oriented health insurance policies for Indians across all age groups. Through its philosophy of “Your Health First” Max Bupa’s mission is to help customer’s live healthier and more successful lives.For more information please visit www.maxbupa.com

About Max India: A reputation for excellence

The Max India Group brings expertise in Life Insurance and Healthcare with a strong presence in Life Insurance (Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited), Healthcare (Max Healthcare Institute Ltd.) and Clinical Research (Max Neeman Medical International Limited). A Rs 7,700 crore group, it has over 670 offices across India, about 90,000 people, all focused on delivering value to its 4.2 million customers.

About Bupa: 63 years of healthcare

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 invests its profits to provide more and better healthcare and is committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing. For more information, visit www.maxbupa.com