“The data is unequivocal. Asia’s health challenge is no longer just medical, it is also behavioral and cultural. As lifestyle-related diseases continue to rise across the region, deeply rooted stereotypes around fitness, financial success and mental health are quietly undermining prevention, delaying support and driving poorer health outcomes,” Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said.
DEEPLY ENTRENCHED PHYSICAL, mental and financial health stereotypes shape attitudes and behaviors around wellbeing across Asia, according to a study conducted by AIA Group Limited.
The study was conducted across China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, analyzing more than 100 million social media posts and online content, alongside a survey of 2,100 respondents.
The research set out to understand how stereotypes around wellbeing are formed, reinforced and normalized in everyday life. It reveals that rigid expectations around fitness, mental health, wealth and family responsibility continue to exert powerful pressure on individuals and shape how people see themselves, how they relate to others and how they engage with their health journeys.
“The data is unequivocal. Asia’s health challenge is no longer just medical, it is also behavioral and cultural. As lifestyle-related diseases continue to rise across the region, deeply rooted stereotypes around fitness, financial success and mental health are quietly undermining prevention, delaying support and driving poorer health outcomes,” Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said.
“By uncovering these insights, our aim is to empower people to question limiting beliefs, challenge how health is portrayed and make more informed choices for their overall health and wellbeing. We believe that helping people live healthier, longer, better lives require changing the narratives that shape everyday behaviors in the first place,” he added.
The key findings include:
• 69 percent of respondents agree that fitness requires discipline with no compromise;
• 59 percent believe that improving health requires a complete transformation;
• 57 percent feel that to be respected, a person must control their emotions and avoid showing vulnerability;
• 63 percent feel negatively about financial health stereotypes, while 41percent associate personal worth with financial success – particularly for men; and
• Only people with good wellbeing tend to find these stereotypes motivating, while those with poorer wellbeing experience them as pressure that reinforces selfdoubt and delays action.
Building on these insights, AIA has launched the next phase of Rethink Healthy, anchored by three new films that bring these hidden pressures to life:
• Perfect Son – explores mental health challenges created by expectations around achievement, strength and family duty;
• Mother & Daughter – highlights how narrow definitions of ‘healthy’ and body image ideals can be unintentionally passed from parent to child; and
• Lone Wolf – challenges the belief that only intense exercise counts, showing how joy and movement can be reframed at every life stage.
To deepen the impact of the campaign, AIA brought together creators and brand ambassadors from across the region for a summit on responsible health storytelling. They examined how stereotypes shape content and co-created ways to encourage more inclusive and authentic wellbeing conversations online.
Together, these initiatives reinforce AIA’s long-term commitment to helping people across Asia live healthier, longer, better lives, and support its ambition to inspire and engage one billion people by 2030.
In 2022, AIA launched the AIA One Billion initiative to engage a billion people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives by 2030.
“The ambition underscores AIA’s commitment to engage, educate and inspire communities across Asia to improve physical, mental and environmental wellness while championing financial inclusion,” the company said.
To date, the initiative has reached over half a billion people.
