News

The latest Southern Cross Healthy Futures report has revealed emerging health and wellbeing concerns held by New Zealanders, spanning multiple aspects of emotional and physical health.

Southern Cross’1 research partner, Kantar, has spoken to more than 7,000 New Zealanders since 2019 to inform the biennial Healthy Futures survey, which shines a light on the health and wellbeing of people across Aotearoa.

According to the 2024 results2, supporting elderly parents or relatives as they age and require care jumped up to become a top health and wellbeing concern amongst those surveyed. This was particularly true for 18–49-year-olds.

Chris White, Chief Executive Officer of Southern Cross Healthcare said these views mirrored the increasing pace of ageing we are seeing in New Zealand’s population.

“The Healthy Futures findings reflect the reality that more New Zealanders are facing the prospect of supporting their parents as they age 3. We know the cost of living is the biggest worry for New Zealanders this year, so financial pressures are certainly a consideration as people anticipate the care and medical support their parents might need in the future,” said White.

“Across our network of private hospitals, we’re seeing more demand to support age-related frailty and illness. Over a one-year period hip and knee replacements increased by 27% and 24% respectively, from June 2022 to 2023.”

Another issue that emerged in the Healthy Futures report was the impact of technology on people’s health and wellbeing.

“Concerns about the impact of social media jumped to the highest level since we began Healthy Futures in 2019, with 78% of those surveyed reporting they were worried about the impact of social media on their self-esteem.

“Parents are also increasingly worried about the impact time on devices can have on their children’s health, with 83% of 30–39-year-olds saying this was a key concern. Furthermore, fewer people believed computer games and devices helped children to learn problem-solving and to build connections with others.”

White concludes, “technologies certainly have an increasing role to play in people’s lives, but they are torn between the positives these can bring, and potential negative impacts to their health and wellbeing.”

Concerns about physical health were also evident in the report. Dr Erica Whineray Kelly, Chief Medical Officer of Southern Cross Healthcare said that having access to cancer services was worrying more New Zealanders this year, although recent Government decisions to fund more medications may see this shift over time.

“More than 80% of New Zealanders are now concerned about this access – a figure that’s up six percent from the 2022 report. When you consider that around 25,0004 New Zealanders are diagnosed with cancer every year, many of us will either experience it directly or will have whānau or friends going through it.

“Early detection does save lives. Access along the cancer pathway is key; it’s screening, surgery, chemoradiation therapy, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Simply having the people and facilities available to deliver cancer related healthcare is vital. Private and public providers are already working collaboratively where they can, but the system is under pressure and requires a whole-of journey view and solutions,” says Whineray Kelly.

Other findings show that vaping was a widespread issue in 2024 with 72% of New Zealanders concerned about this, whereas 64% were worried about smoking.

“The long-term effects of vaping are concerning and the increasing use of e-cigarettes among adolescents is particularly worrying. We’ve seen this reflected in the Healthy Futures findings with parents and those serving the community, such as police, teachers and nurses, amongst the most worried about vaping,” concludes Whineray Kelly.

Chris White rounds out the findings by explaining, "By sharing this report, we hope to encourage informed discussion and action so we can embrace opportunities to do things in a better way and address the hurdles facing New Zealanders. We all want to see a healthier future for ourselves and our whānau."

1 Southern Cross Medical Care Society and Southern Cross Healthcare Limited funded the 2024 Healthy Futures survey
2Healthy Futures Report 2024. Fieldwork was conducted by Kantar in March 2024 with a sample of 2,000. A total of 7,007 people from across New Zealand have taken part in the Healthy Futures study since 2019.
3Stats NZ, National population projections: 2022(base)–2073
4NZ Cancer Society Manifesto 2023-2024.