Health Information Advisers and Seekers All Around Us

These ‘trusted advisers’ – those providing advice to family and friends on health and nutrition – are an important conduit to the rest of the population and are comprised of significant proportions of particular demographic groups. Overall, 64% of trusted advisers were women, 28% were aged 35-49, and 45% had a diploma or a degree.

As of December 2010, the proportion of ‘trusted advisers’ who bought herbal products in the last six months was almost double that of the general Australian population. Trusted advisers were also more likely to have purchased numerous other health products in the last six months compared with the general Australian population.


Health Products Bought in Last Six Months


Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, 12 month moving average Jan 10 – Dec 10, Trusted Advisers n = 3,880, Australian Population 14+ = 18,817.


Another large disparity existed in the use of personal fitness training, with 4% of the general Australian population paying for this service in the previous four weeks, compared to 7% of ‘trusted advisers’. This trend is also consistent with other health services as higher proportions of ‘trusted advisors’ paid for health services compared with the general Australian population.


Health Services Paid For In Last Four Weeks


Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, 12 month moving average Jan 10 – Dec 10, Trusted Advisers n = 3,880, Australian Population 14+ = 18,817.


Nick Williams, Healthcare Consultant at Roy Morgan Research says:

“It is clear that those who consider themselves trusted advisers on health and nutrition information are strong advocates of most health products, as is evidenced by large proportions having bought prescription medication, vitamins, and sun care products in the previous six months. Trusted advisers also appear more willing to spend money on health services than the general population.

“Word of mouth can be a trusted and powerful source of information. Just over one-in-five of us are asked for advice on health and nutrition information by family and friends, and the same proportion seek out health and nutrition information among family and friends. This equates to large amounts of health related information being communicated within family and social circles.

“Trusted advisers on health and nutrition have a clear preference for the internet when sourcing information, with 35% nominating it as the most useful media for finding health related information. This was followed by 30% for magazines, and 13% for newspapers. The popularity of the internet likely reflects the ease and speed at which specific information can be obtained.

“Insights from Roy Morgan Research consumer poll data enable profiling of Advisers and Seekers of Health and Nutrition information across a spectrum of metrics and media preferences. This crucial information allows more efficient communication and reach with the people who are essentially the most influential brand advocates.”

Below are the media sources that ‘trusted advisers’ and ‘information seekers’ considered most useful for obtaining health, wellbeing and fitness information.


Media Most Useful for Health, Wellbeing and Fitness Information


Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, 12 month moving average Jan 10 – Dec 10, Trusted Advisers n = 3,880, Information Seekers n = 3,637.