One in two Thais are overweight and aware of it, but overweight status doesn't necessarily reflect their perception of their health, according to a study by Nielsen.
The report on health and wellness status in Thailand examined consumers' understanding and perception of health and wellness, current behaviour and future trends, and insights on healthy living.
It found the concept of a healthy lifestyle is gaining popularity in Thailand as consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of health and wellness.
The majority of Thai consumers choose healthier food or beverages instead of exercise in terms of how they stay healthy, and this trend has not changed over three years.
More than 90% said they consume healthy beverages regularly and more than 80% consume healthy food or snacks regularly. The use of vitamins, minerals, supplements, exercise, sports and fitness apps, and gadgets to monitor fitness are much lower.
The report said Thai consumers have a relatively high awareness of specific terms relating to healthy food and beverages, but knowledge of their benefits is limited.
For example, consumers have a high level of awareness about the phrases "all natural ingredients", "high in fibre" or "enriched with fibre", and "high in protein" or "with protein", but only about a quarter agree that they are knowledgeable about such benefits.
Viraj Juthani, executive director for consumer insights at Nielsen Thailand, said whether it is an ageing population, changes in environment, urbanisation or a higher penetration of internet and mobile devices, Nielsen has observed consumers' needs and behaviour are more complex because massive digital and social engagement is influencing their decision-making.
"Consumers are becoming more discerning about their product choices, especially when it comes to healthy offerings," Mr Viraj said.
"While tracking the changes that consumers are making in their lives and shopping carts, manufacturers need to find the right value proposition and choose credible outlets to relay information that promotes healthy products and service benefits that will help drive meaningful growth."
He said key health and wellness trends included prevention, dietary preferences for greens and grains with high nutritional value and great taste, and supplement consumption, which means looking to fill in nutritional gaps lacking from daily food consumption.
When asked about consumers' first choices for healthy food or snacks, most people picked greens, salads, clean food (34%) and grains, nuts, wheat-based food (28%).
The most common factor affecting choices was nutritional value.
Great taste and easy availability are also important selection criteria.
For healthy beverages, functional drinks and vegetable, fruit and herb juices were the top choices.