Conducted in August this year, to uncover the importance of social support for living a healthy, active lifestyle, Herbalife’s survey polled 5,500 respondents in 11 Asia Pacific markets - Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The survey also provides insights into the benefits of being part of a support group that respondents most value in their health and wellness journeys:

“The survey findings align with our belief that having a network of community support is vital in keeping people committed to achieving their health goals,” said Stephen Conchie, Regional President for Asia Pacific and China at Herbalife. “That’s why we employ a community-based approach to helping people live healthier lives together with our distributors. The support networks provided by our distributors to their customers are critical in achieving lasting results. Many of them also run nutrition clubs and group fitness activities, to motivate people to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle in a friendly, social environment.”

“To further celebrate the power of community in driving healthy, active living, we are holding the Herbalife Run for the fourth consecutive year. We hope to encourage Asia Pacific consumers to get moving through fun and engaging activities such as this, whilst helping them foster supportive communities along the way,” added Conchie.

Overall, both in-person and online communities are deemed effective in supporting respondents’ health and wellness goals, although more of them favour in-person communities, especially in Australia and Malaysia. This is largely due to the benefits of meeting new friends or expanding one's social circle, the ability to ensure accountability regarding their progress, and the opportunity to engage in in-person activities.

The survey also identified the most important individuals in supporting healthy active living – families, friends and colleagues (42%), healthcare practitioners, such as doctors and nutritionists (21%), and like-minded individuals with similar goals (19%).

As social support is seen as an important factor in helping individuals remain committed to their healthy living goals, 43% of respondents have expressed their intention to join nutrition, fitness, or wellness support groups in the next 12 months.

Among the demographic groups, the younger Gen Zs and Millennials are more likely to join support groups (51%), compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers (34%). The intention to join a support group is also notably higher in Vietnam (76%), Indonesia (69%), and the Philippines (68%).

Among those interested in joining support groups, 65% aim to join fitness communities, 53% are keen on wellness support groups, and 49% are interested in nutrition communities. The top health priorities they seek when considering support group participation are as follows:

To help consumers in the Asia Pacific region achieve their health priorities, Herbalife is holding its annual running event from November 1 to 30, in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Entitled Live Your Best Life Herbalife Run, this year’s running challenge celebrates the power of community support through a refreshed app to help participants connect with their fellow runners and cheer each other on throughout their journeys towards healthy, active living.

As an engaging app-based activity, the Herbalife Run has welcomed over 54,000 participants across Asia Pacific since 2020, covering over 3,220,000 kilometers – which is equivalent to circling Earth over 80 times.

The Herbalife Run will also contribute to raising funds to support the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation with providing good nutrition to needy children in the Asia Pacific through its flagship Casa Herbalife program.