Future of wellness and healthcare system of the world

Dr. Mukul Chandra Bora

 (drmukulcbora@gmail.com)

Health is wealth, not only for individuals but also for organizations in the wellness industry, where the business is booming. According to McKinsey’s latest Future of Wellness report, based on surveys of over 5,000 consumers across China, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the global consumer wellness market has surged to $1.8 trillion (INR 15,27,63,66.00 Crores) annually. In the U.S., the wellness market is growing at an annual rate of up to 10%, now valued at $480 billion. A remarkable 82% of U.S. consumers consider wellness a top or important priority in their daily lives, mirroring the 87% in China and 73% in the UK. McKinsey partner Anna Pione notes, “We knew that consumers were increasingly treating wellness as a priority, but what continues to surprise us is just how significant a priority it is.” While we instinctively understand that health goes beyond simply the absence of illness, what exactly does wellness mean? McKinsey defines wellness through six dimensions: health, fitness, sleep, mindfulness, appearance, and nutrition. In this article, I will explore what people prioritize when it comes to their health and what trends to expect in the wellness sector moving forward.

RECENT TRENDS IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS: In a world where health has become an increasingly important priority, consumers are placing more emphasis on making informed choices about the products and services they invest in. As awareness of health and wellness grows, people are not just focusing on their immediate needs but are becoming more discerning about how these offerings are backed by data and scientific research. This shift has led to a growing demand for products and services that demonstrate tangible, evidence-based benefits. Consumers now expect transparency, quality, and reliability in the products they purchase, especially when it comes to health and wellness. As a result, the wellness industry is seeing a shift towards offerings that are not only trendy but also supported by rigorous scientific validation and data.

These evolving consumer preferences and behaviours can be organized into five key trends: Personalization: With advancements in technology and data collection, consumers are increasingly seeking products and services tailored to their specific health needs. From personalized nutrition plans to customized fitness regimens, individuals are gravitating toward solutions that reflect their unique bodies and lifestyles, rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

1. Science-backed wellness: There is a growing preference for products and services grounded in scientific research. Consumers are demanding more evidence-based solutions in areas like fitness, nutrition, sleep, and mental health. This trend is driving brands to invest in research and clinical trials to validate the effectiveness of their offerings, ensuring that they can provide measurable, proven benefits.

2. Preventive healthcare: Rather than waiting for health issues to arise, consumers are taking a more proactive approach to their well-being. This shift toward prevention is leading to an increased focus on products and services that help individuals monitor and manage their health before problems emerge. Wellness tools, supplements, and technologies that support long-term health maintenance are seeing a rise in popularity.

3. Mental and emotional well-being: Alongside physical health, mental and emotional wellness is becoming a top priority. Consumers are recognizing the importance of a balanced mind for overall health and are seeking products and services designed to enhance mindfulness, reduce stress, and improve emotional resilience. This trend is pushing brands to innovate in areas like meditation, sleep improvement, and stress management.

4. Sustainability and ethical consumption: In addition to prioritizing personal health, consumers are becoming more conscious of the broader impact of their purchasing decisions. Sustainable, ethical, and environmentally friendly products are gaining traction, as consumers demand transparency in sourcing, packaging, and manufacturing. This shift towards sustainability is influencing how health and wellness products are designed and marketed, with an emphasis on products that align with consumers’ values.

Together, these trends reflect a more informed, thoughtful, and conscious consumer base that is increasingly willing to invest in health and wellness products that are grounded in science and supported by data. This change is reshaping the industry, pushing brands to innovate and provide solutions that align with these evolving consumer priorities, which can be grouped into the following:

Health at home: The COVID-19 pandemic made at-home testing kits a common household item. As the pandemic becomes less of a daily concern, many consumers are now exploring other types of at-home kits, ranging from tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies to cholesterol levels. This trend is emerging across the countries surveyed. In China, for example, 35% of consumers reported replacing some in-person healthcare appointments with at-home diagnostic tests.

Traditional Medicine in Healthcare: The integration of traditional and contemporary healthcare systems is gaining popularity, particularly as more people seek alternative healthcare options post-pandemic. This approach combines the strengths of both systems, with traditional healthcare offering complementary therapies that improve patient outcomes and prevent or alleviate symptoms, while contemporary healthcare, rooted in Western medical practices, focuses on diagnosing and treating diseases through science and technology. Traditional practices, such as herbal medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture, yoga, and naturopathy, have been used in India for centuries and continue to be widely practised. The saying, “Let your kitchen be your pharmacy, or your pharmacy will become your kitchen,” emphasizes the importance of natural remedies. Integrating these systems can address healthcare disparities by offering a more personalized, holistic approach that respects patients’ socio-cultural beliefs. Furthermore, around 90% of WHO Member States have reported using traditional medicine and are calling for robust evidence and data to guide policies and ensure its safe, effective, and equitable use.

Biomonitoring and wearables: About half of all surveyed consumers have purchased a fitness wearable at some point. Watches are the most common fitness tracker, but other types of technology are becoming more popular. These include wearable biometric rings paired with mobile apps and continuous glucose monitors, which can be applied to the back of a user’s arm to track their blood sugar levels. More than three-quarters of respondents said they would be open to using a wearable device in the future.

Personalization’s Gen AI boost: People like personalization: nearly one in five US consumers and one in three US millennials preferpersonalized products and services. Some are even willing to part with their biometric data in exchange for personalized recommendations. There’s an opportunity here to pair these tools with generative AI (gen AI) to enable more precise personalization: for example, designing customized workouts for users based on their fitness data, which some wearables are already using gen AI to do.

Clinical over “clean”: Users are beginning to move away from wellness products that tout “clean” or natural ingredients and toward those with clinically proven ingredients. Roughly half of UK and US consumers reported clinical effectiveness as a top purchasing factor; only 20 percent said the same for clean ingredients. In the United States, this trend is most pronounced in over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements, and beauty products.

The rise of the doctor recommendation: As the influencer economy grows—and with it, potentially dubious or compromised health opinions—consumers value recommendations from doctors more than ever. Consumers say that doctors’ recommendations matter the most when they’re seeking care related to mindfulness, sleep, and overall health (including the use of vitamins and over-the-counter medications).

AREAS OF GROWTH IN THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY: Women’s health: In the past, women seeking healthcare have been underserved. Women’s health products are more available today than ever before—and purchases are up, too. The largest shares of respondents said they purchased menstrual-care and sexual-health products in the past year, yet consumers said they spent the most on menopause and pregnancy-related products. There are still unmet needs in this space, particularly related to menopause.

Healthy ageing: A move toward preventative medicine, the growth of health technology, and advances in research on anti-ageing products are propelling demand for products and services that support healthy ageing and longevity. Around 70 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom and United States and 85 percent in China said they purchased more in the healthy-aging category in the past year than in prior years. The results were similar across age groups.

Weight management: Nearly one in three US adults has a body mass index of 30 or higher, which is the threshold for obesity. And 60 percent of US respondents to our survey said they are currently trying to lose weight. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, are rapidly growing in popularity. This is especially true in the United States, where more than 50 percent of American consumers consider prescription medication to be a “very effective” weight management intervention.

In-person fitness: Fitness is moving from a hobby to a core part of people’s identities, especially among Gen Z consumers. Fifty-six percent of US Gen Zers surveyed considered fitness a “very high priority,” compared with 40 percent of US consumers overall. Based on McKinsey analysis, we expect consumers to maintain their spending on fitness club memberships and fitness apps and increase their spending on in-person fitness classes and personal training.

Gut health: More than 80 percent of consumers in China, the United Kingdom, and the United States consider gut health to be important—and more than half of respondents said it will be a higher priority over the next two to three years. People in China and the United States are more likely to take probiotic supplements, whereas UK consumers typically choose foods with probiotics, including kimchi, kombucha, or yoghurt.

Sexual health: We’ve seen growing demand for sexual-health products, likely due to expanded conversations around sexuality, improvements in sexual education, and growing support for female sexual-health challenges. Eighty-seven percent of US consumers report having spent the same or more on sexual health products (such as contraceptives and adult toys) in the past year than the year prior.

Sleep: Sleep ranks as the second-highest priority in health and wellness for consumers, yet it is also the area where they report the most unmet needs. A variety of factors, including diet, exercise, caffeine intake, screen time, and stress, can significantly impact sleep quality. While the sleep tech industry is growing rapidly, few tech companies have successfully developed a comprehensive solution to address all aspects of consumers’ sleep challenges. Looking to the future, there is a significant opportunity for companies that can leverage consumer data to target and solve specific sleep-related issues.

According to a survey conducted in 2023 by McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), over 21,000 adults aged 55 and older across 21 countries revealed shared priorities among older adults regarding health and wellness. Respondents emphasized the importance of having purpose, managing stress, forming meaningful connections, and maintaining independence. These factors are linked to mental, physical, social, and spiritual health, all of which decline with age, particularly physical health. Mental health is most positively rated among those aged 55 to 64, while spiritual health is rated highest by those aged 65 and older. Financial stability plays a key role in maintaining healthy habits, especially cognitive health. However, older adults in high-income economies do not always fare better than those in lower-income economies, with many in wealthier countries expressing a desire to work but not doing so. Additionally, older adults in high-income countries report lower levels of societal participation. The survey also found that engaging in community activities leads to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

In conclusion, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) model of integration suggests that incorporating yoga into mainstream clinical services is a successful first step toward integrative healthcare. Yoga can be formalized as a clinical discipline and integrated systematically into medical practice. Over time, other complementary traditional medicine systems can also be integrated in a gradual, evidence-based manner. It is important to recognize that Ayurveda and yoga should be practiced together to achieve holistic health and well-being. While classical yoga’s primary focus is Sadhana (spiritual practice), rather than Chikitsa (medical treatment), the latter falls within the realm of Ayurveda. Yoga texts do not address disease, pathology, diagnosis, or treatment outside of Ayurveda’s framework. Yoga does not have its own system of medicine regarding diagnosis and treatment; when reduced to asana (posture) therapy alone, it limits Yoga’s full healing potential, focusing mainly on physical benefits. To fully tap into yoga’s healing capabilities, we need a comprehensive yogic system of medicine that addresses not just the physical body but also the mind, emotions, and psychological health. A truly holistic approach to healing requires both yoga and Ayurveda, and evidence-based medicine may be able to provide the medical foundation of the future healthcare system.