The most recent Blue Cross health study, Canadians Care About Preventative Health, has found that almost all of the Canadians surveyed – 96 per cent said there are health benefits to working from home. Most also know how health works and many often try to make healthy lifestyle choices.  

The survey of 2,322 adult Canadians, conducted between April and July 2024, found that most are in good health: “Many Canadians describe their physical health as the best possible, or doing fine,” they write. Of those surveyed, 14 per cent said they were in the best possible health, while another 50 per cent said they were doing fine.  

Diet and exercise 

Most know how health works, they add, saying Canadians are most likely to use diet and exercise as a prevention tactic to stay healthy. Health improvements attempted in the past 12 months by survey respondents include visiting a doctor – reported by 30 per cent of respondents, followed by 29 per cent who consulted online information, 18 per cent who purchased or used a wearable device or committed to a diet and 12 per cent who say they kept a fitness journal.  

Doctors remain a key source of health information, they add, but say younger Canadians prefer digital sources. Family doctors were cited as the number one source of information by Gen X and Boomer respondents, while digital sources of information were preferred by Gen Z and millennials.  

The report also looks at the professionals which survey respondents had visited in the past 12 months, how they accessed care (41 per cent said they had at least one video or phone appointment), the benefits and limitations of virtual care and the reasons some don’t get help.  

Not surprisingly, those with health benefits were more likely to seek care when needed. They add that those with benefits are also more likely to report better health.