Medifast Survey Finds 93% of U.S. Adults Set Health Goals

BALTIMORE, June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Medifast (NYSE: MED), the global company behind one the fastest-growing health and wellness communities, OPTAVIA®, today released findings from a nationally-representative study on consumer health priorities and motivators.

In an earlier survey from December 2020*, the company found 63% of Americans had adopted new, positive health routines amid the pandemic, 96% of whom planned to continue embracing healthy habits in the new year. Six months into 2021, this new studyǂ, which surveyed 1,230 U.S. adults, found that almost all U.S. adults (93%) have health and wellness goals and 84% are actively working toward achieving them.

Health Goals:

• Many of the goals respondents rated as being important to them focus on improving physical health, including wanting to fuel their body with a more healthy, balanced diet (87%) and exercising regularly (85%).
• 86% of U.S. adults say focusing on mindfulness and their mental health is an important goal for them.

Motivators:

• The #1 reason U.S. adults want to prioritize their health and wellness is to feel better, both physically and mentally (76%).
• The biggest motivator for staying consistent with health and wellness goals is feeling good, mentally and physically (67%) – defined by having more energy and reducing stress and anxiety.
• Additionally, 55% of Americans say that seeing physical results motivates them to stay on top of their health and wellness goals.

Other notable findings include:

• The sources people are most likely to turn to for support are their doctors and/or healthcare providers (40%), family (32%) and friends (25%).
• Despite wanting to prioritize mental wellness, 78% of Americans are currently not practicing meditation, breathing or other mindfulness exercises in order to achieve their health and wellness goals.
• Just under half (46%) of U.S. adults are working toward achieving their health and wellness goals by moving their bodies through low-intensity workouts or new and/or adventurous activities.
• Men are more likely than women to prioritize their health and wellness in order to look better physically (46% of men vs. 39% of women).

Supporting Quotes
Dan Chard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Medifast
"Even throughout a challenging time, we saw Americans adopting new, healthy habits. Now, the majority of U.S. adults have health goals and are actively working toward them. This is not only a result of the physical, mental and emotional challenges of the past year but, more importantly, a clear indicator of the shift in consumer mindsets and prioritization of their health – both mind and body. Every day, our Community of independent OPTAVIA Coaches help people make positive changes, and we believe our offer will continue to resonate as more and more American's look to get healthy."

To support those adopting health and wellness goals, OPTAVIA offers a proprietary system built around healthy habit creation, clinically proven plans and scientifically developed products and reinforced with Coach and Community support. 

About Medifast®:
Medifast (NYSE: MED) is the global company behind OPTAVIA®, one of the fastest-growing global health and wellness communities, which offers scientifically developed products, clinically proven plans and the support of Coaches and a Community to help Clients achieve Lifelong Transformation, One Healthy Habit at a Time®. Based on nearly 40 years of experience, Medifast has redefined direct selling by combining the best aspects of the model. Its community of thousands of independent OPTAVIA Coaches teach Clients how to develop holistic healthy habits through the proprietary Habits of Health® Transformational System. Medifast is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and ranked second on FORTUNE's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list in 2020. The company was also named to Forbes' 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in America list in 2017. For more information, visit MedifastInc.com or OPTAVIA.com.

*Methodology:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,414 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19th - 20th October 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+). The margin of error for this survey is +/- 3% at 95% confidence.

ǂMethodology:
All percentages and survey findings, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,230 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between May 17 and May 18, 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+). The margin of error for this survey is +/- 3% at 95% confidence. 

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SOURCE Medifast, Inc.