The challenge
The Swiss population longs for change and would like to optimise its health. The latest results of the “Sanitas Health Forecast” study reveal that Swiss people sleep poorly, are afraid of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and do not exercise often enough. So it’s high time for a fresh start! But how do you make a fresh start? That’s what the new Health Forecast is all about.
The solution
This year’s edition of the Sanitas Health Forecast is all about changes and new beginnings. Against this background, it investigates fascinating health topics such as the brain, sleep and nutrition. Over 400 pages offer the opportunity to find out what aspects of these topics interest Switzerland, to obtain inspiration and to discover potential for changing yourself – as a book to read, as podcasts to listen to, and now also with videos that allow subjects to be explored in more depth and personal insights to be gained into the everyday life of professionals and the people affected.
As a health insurance company, Sanitas wants to be close to its insurees and understand how the Swiss population’s view of its health is evolving. Sanitas has been sharing these findings in its annual Health Forecast since 2020. The report aims to inspire and promote a holistic health understanding, so that together we can take care of our healthy future. This year’s edition and the associated study are all about changes and new beginnings, and investigate other fascinating health topics such as the brain, sleep and nutrition.
An independent editorial team has conducted research, interviewed experts from the fields of medicine, science and futurology, spoken to those affected, interpreted studies, analysed trends and tried out new approaches. The result is a book that provides over 400 pages of inspiration for a healthier tomorrow – in the form of features, interviews, portraits, expert contributions and testimonials.
In addition to “restart” as the main theme, the 2022 edition focuses on the brain, sleep and nutrition. Readers learn about subjects such as how to prevent depression with psychedelics, the benefits of forgetting things, how Alzheimer’s can be treated, why sleep is becoming a mega-trend, how we can determine the content of our dreams, whether mineral water is healthier than tap water, and why it has never been easier to eat healthily than it is today.
This year again, an independent editorial team of around thirty journalists is responsible for the content. Among them are renowned journalists such as Sacha Batthyany or Henriette Kuhrt (both from NZZ am Sonntag), Jessica Braun (Die Zeit, among other publications), Andreas Scheiner (NZZ) or Patrick Rohr (former “Arena” presenter), as well as proven experts including sleep researcher Björn Rasch (University of Fribourg), GDI researcher Jakub Samochowiec and nutrition researcher Dominik Flammer. They have all conducted research, carried out interviews, written essays and put together portraits of personalities; in addition, they give advice on improving health in everyday life and offer a comprehensive overview of the latest international trends in the areas of research, medicine and lifestyle.
Different editorial formats alternate throughout the four chapters. They range from topic-specific features to portraits of those affected, interviews with experts and specialists, current trends, as well as specific tips and food for thought for readers.
In addition to the book, this year’s videos provide more in-depth topical information and personal insights into the everyday lives of professionals and the people affected. Experts such as the head physician of the Zurzach Care sleep clinic for sleep medicine, a menstrual health coach, a trainer for body brain activity or a memory trainer give valuable tips and insights in contributions lasting around three minutes, as do the people portrayed, who are confronted with different health difficulties – ranging from a diagnosis of burnout to narcolepsy or histamine intolerance.
The works by renowned artists, illustrators and photographers featured in the book aim to cast light on the topics dealt with from a different perspective. This not only ensures additional depth of content, but above all provides some unusual, inspiring perspectives on the topics of the brain, sleep and nutrition. Visually, “The new you” is characterised by the Chinese-Malaysian photographer Zhong Lin, who provided the cover portrait for the 2022 edition as well as the art picture spread in the main chapter “restart”. Douglas Mandry, Paul Cupido and Ziqian Liu created the image sections in the chapters on the brain, sleep and nutrition, thereby sharing their interpretation of these topics.
Four illustrations by Andreas Samuelsson have also been chosen as the introductory images for the four chapters – their simple symbolism sparks curiosity about the particular health topic that readers will discover on the following pages.
For the representative “Sanitas Health Forecast 2022” study – still the first and only nationwide study in Switzerland on the health of the future – more than 2,000 people from all regions of Switzerland were surveyed in two waves at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 on a wide range of health topics: personal sleep behaviour and what people think about personalised nutrition, new widespread diseases such as Alzheimer’s, the healthcare system, or trends such as dream hacking and functional drinks. In all these areas, one of the aims was to find out how Swiss people would like to change – as well as what they think would have to change to make them change.
The findings from the study were made available to the journalists for the preparation of their articles and can therefore be discovered in many places in the book. A selection of the most interesting insights is summarised in each chapter as a short, quantitative synopsis on an informative double-page spread.
The Sanitas Health Forecast is published by the Wörterseh-Verlag and is available in bookshops as well as in selected concept stores and at Valora and Coop kiosks. It can also be found in various non-traditional outlets (NTO). As in the last two years, the publication can also be ordered conveniently online.
Placing the third edition in strategic locations in bookshops as well as in concept stores (e.g. at the checkout or in the shop window) enhances the visibility of the report, sparks curiosity and creates spontaneous buying incentives.
With regard to the cover picture used for the publication, the advertising campaign for the Sanitas Health Forecast maintains the high recognition value built up over the last two years. The campaign focuses on linking the related themes of a fresh start and the health of the future, and on directly addressing target groups with the title “The new you”. The campaign combines (D)OOH media in the environment of kiosks and bookshops with digital and social media advertising.
Like last year, a new episode of the Sanitas Health Forecast podcast will be released every fortnight. In each one, Frank Baumann talks to a guest about the health of the future. This adds to the Health Forecast universe to provide a view of the health of the future that is as comprehensive as it is inspiring.
Insights and facts from the Sanitas Health Forecast 2022 will be posted as sneak peaks on the Instagram channel, which was established last year – firstly to hint at certain topics, and secondly to engage with the health-interested public.
By providing exclusive content and interviews for selected media in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, we, as the media office of the Sanitas Health Forecast, will ensure media presence throughout Switzerland during the launch phase and beyond. Explore our selection of media articles published on the Sanitas Health forecast study and book.
In order to make the findings from the study, trends, and expert knowledge accessible to the entire Swiss population, exclusive contents of the «Sanitas Health Forecast» were also published in French and Italian for the first time in 2022.
The aim of the publication was to provide the most relevant and applicable contents, enabling each and every one to do more for their own health - to make a personal restart possible. In French-speaking Switzerland, the media cooperation with the newspaper «Le Temps» made it possible to reach a large readership of health-conscious people.
Website: sanitas.com/healthforecast
Our work for Sanitas Health Forecast, 2022 edition was awarded with
