Hyderabad: Saridon, the headache relief brand from Bayer’s Consumer Health Division in India, has released the second edition of its national headache survey. This comprehensive report delves into the growing prevalence of stress among individuals in a post-pandemic era, exploring its correlation with headache across diverse geographies and demographics.
The comprehensive report, commissioned by HANSA Research, a globally recognized full-service market research company, delved into a wide range of cohorts, including gender, working class, age, and demography, to provide a holistic understanding of the stress levels faced by individuals aged 22-45 in India. This extensive study encompassed 5,310 respondents from 20 urban cities, including key tier 1 and tier 2 towns across 15 states, unveiling captivating consumer insights. According to the report, an astounding 93% of respondents who experienced headaches witnessed a noticeable increase, directly linked to elevated stress levels.
The report revealed that 1 in 3 people felt that their stress levels had increased post pandemic. Financial problems and work pressure were indicated as major stressors for both working and non-working populations. Among other causes, health issues and family conflicts were prominent stressors. The findings highlight the need for effective stress management strategies in a post-pandemic world.
Commenting about ‘The New Saridon Headache Report’, Sandeep Verma, Country Head, Bayer Consumer Health India, said, “At Bayer, we prioritize self-care and place accessible healthcare at the forefront of our mission. The latest report underscores the significant relationship between stress and headaches, particularly in a post-pandemic era where consumers have now started to focus on self-care as a vital aspect of their well-being. With a legacy of over 50 years, Saridon has earned the trust of Indian consumers, establishing itself as a household name. This report lays emphasis on the connection between stress and headache as it also reveals the changing healthcare needs of the consumers. Bayer continues to stay committed to developing advanced healthcare solutions for addressing everyday needs by evolving our brands and introducing solutions like our best ever - New Saridon.”
Among the tier 1 towns, Mumbai is the only city with over 90% incidence of headache while Chennai follows closely at 89%; among tier 2 towns, 99% in Ahmedabad and Bhubaneshwar claimed that they experienced headache, followed by Madurai (96%) and Indore (94%).
The report also reveals a positive trend wherein 80% of respondents now engage in open discussions about their headaches with family, friends, and colleagues. Compared to *2021 study, there has been a notable increase of 3% in the number of individuals (89%) who take action within a few minutes or hours to relieve their headaches, as opposed to waiting until the end of the day (86% in *2021).
The results also unveiled a concerning trend, with nearly 40% of participants indicating challenges in sustaining optimal concentration on their tasks—a significant increase of 7% compared to the findings of the *2021 study. Nearly 50% highlighted the reduction of workload, both professional responsibilities and household chores, as the primary remedy to address this concern.
NEW SARIDON HEADACHE SURVEY
Extrapolated findings (49 mn) based on sample size of 5,310 respondents in 20 urban cities (tier 1 and tier 2 towns) across 15 states; 22–45-year-old men and women belonging to NCCS A, B, C.
1. Higher levels of stress across age groups as compared to pre-pandemic:
· Compared to pre-pandemic, there was a 12% rise in stress levels among 26-35 yrs, 13% rise among 36-45 yrs; and 10% rise among 22-25 yrs
· Relatively higher stress observed in the age groups 26-35 yrs (87%) and 36-45 yrs. (86%) as compared to 22-25 yrs. (83%)
· As cited by those who have headache and claim to hide it, work deadlines/home responsibilities were leading factors for higher stress levels among 36-45 yrs age group vs social commitments for 26-35 yrs
2. Women- the more stressed gender
· Slightly higher proportion of women (87%) have experienced stress post-pandemic (in the last one year) vs 84% of men
· Among women aged 22-25 years, post-pandemic stress was much higher at 86% vs men (80%)
· Among working women, 90% experienced stress post-pandemic stress, which is 14% higher than those who claimed to have stress pre-pandemic
· Among non-working women, 11% more people claimed to have stress post-pandemic (86%) as compared to pre-pandemic times
3. Health concerns emerging as a new dimension of stress:
· In the survey conducted in 2021, financial stress was cited as the leading cause by 40%, followed by 27% who attributed to work pressure. However, in the latest survey, the main cause of stress was found to be equally split between work pressure and financial problems/rising costs (32% each).
· While health issues were attributed by only 12% in 2021, currently, 16% reported health issues as a chief contributor of post-pandemic stress, indicating that dimensions of stress are visibly expanding now.
· 32% of women with stress reported financial reasons as the leading cause of stress while work pressure was cited as the topmost reason by 24% women. On the other hand, 40% of men reported work pressure as the leading stressor, followed closely by 32% who ranked financial reasons at #1.
· Higher proportion of women (21%) felt that health issues were the main reason for stress as compared to 12% of men
4. West Zone reported higher levels of stress:
· The incidence of stress has significantly risen post-pandemic as 85% (+11%) people across urban cities reported having stress in the last one year
· A staggering 94% of population in the West zone reported post-pandemic stress
· Ahmedabad topped the list with nearly 100% claiming to have experienced stress pre- as well as post-pandemic
· Mumbai leads with the highest proportion (50%) of those who reported work stress while Chennai was the least (19%) among tier 1 towns
5. Behavior changes around dealing with headache:
· Over 70% indicated that they tend to become irritable due to headache – this is almost a 10% rise as compared to 2021* findings
· Almost 40% indicated that they struggle to concentrate on the tasks at hand, a 7% rise as compared to 2021* study
· Behaviour towards addressing headache has improved post-pandemic with 80% reporting that they do share with family/friends/colleagues about their headache; this is 3% rise as compared to the 2021* study
· 50% of men as well as women sufferers were found to prefer tablet for immediate relief
· 59% leave some of the tasks unfinished at work or home on account of feeling stressed
*An in-depth analysis conducted in 2021 as part of the Saridon Headache Report uncovered a concerning trend of increasing headache frequency among urban Indians.
