The 10 most surprising health findings from 2024

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The 10 most surprising health findings from 2024

Health promises to continue to make headlines next year with nearly half of Americans saying they'd prefer to have a healthier 2025 (47%) than a wealthier one (53%), according to a 2024 study from Hims. 

Here are the headlines in health from the Hims study that are the most jaw-dropping.

1. 35% of Americans Would Rather Lose 10 Pounds Than Be Debt Free

Weight loss is on most of our minds daily—75% of Americans say they think about their weight every day, and 14% say it's constantly on their minds. In fact, the vast majority of us (70%) would prefer to lose 10 pounds than gain 100 friends. 

Perhaps even more surprising: 35% of Americans would rather lose 10 pounds than be debt free. The average American has $104,000 of debt, which means that each pound is worth about $10K for the 35% who would prefer to lose weight than decrease their debt.

Hims

2. One-Third of Married Adults Consider Monogamy Optional

Fully 1 in 3 Americans report being "monogam-ish" and married couples are no different: 32% say they are "monogam-ish" rather than "monogamous." What's more, gender doesn't make as much of a difference in monogamy as some may think: 28% of women and 31% of moms say they cheat from time to time, as do 38% of men and 39% of dads. 

Also interesting: as many monogamous couples as singles say their biggest vice is "obsessing over a crush" (both 12%). And more monogamous couples are thinking of someone else when they are having sex than singles (50% vs. 47%, respectively). 

Singles also say they aren't having more fun (in bed): 42% rate their sex life as good or amazing vs. 56% of people in monogamous relationships and 60% of married couples. 

3. Gen Z Men are Leading the Telehealth Revolution

78% of surveyed Gen Z men say they are a customer of at least one telehealth company, as compared to 63% of Gen Z women, 58% of Millennials, and 54% of respondents overall, making Gen Z men a driving force behind the evolution of telehealth. 

More specifically, 72% of Gen Z men report they have gotten a prescription from a telehealth company for a mental health condition vs. 55% overall; and 70% of Gen Z men report they've purchased a weight loss product from a telehealth company vs. 53% overall. 

Hair loss products are likely to be next: as reported in "Gen Z Men are the Biggest Beauty Market No One is Talking About," Gen Z men are disproportionately interested in their hair and how they care for it.

4. 83% of Us Are Not the Weight We'd Like To Be—On Average, Americans Would Like to Lose 42 Pounds

In the 2024 Hims & Hers study The Shape of America, Americans were asked to weigh in on what they feel is the ideal weight for men and women, and how they measure up to these ideals. What was found is that only 17% of Americans say they are at their ideal weight, meaning that 83% aren't at the weight they'd like to be. 

More specifically, 24% are a few pounds above where they want to be, an equal 24% are several pounds above where they'd like to be, and 17% say they are extremely overweight and have obesity (18% report being underweight and, as mentioned, 17% are exactly where they'd like to be). 

The average amount of weight Americans would like to lose is 42 pounds. This includes 60% who would like to lose 30 pounds or less, and 40% who would like to lose 21 pounds or more. 

5. 41% of Gen Z Women Prefer TikTok to Sex 

Sex is better than TikTok according to most Americans, but for Gen Z women it's a close call. When asked what they prioritized more—sex or TikTok—69% of Americans said the sex is their priority, while 31% chose TikTok. However, among Gen Z women, the priority gap between sex and TikTok is notably lower. 59% of Gen Z women say they prefer sex to TikTok, meaning that 41%—nearly half—prefer TikTok to sex. 

Gen Z women's counterparts—Gen Z men—did not agree, with 70% preferring sex. Backing this finding up, Gen Z women were the only demographic with a majority (51%) saying that their social media was of more value to them than their sex life (49%). 

Either way, Gen Z women's and men's sex lives are doing just fine, with 61% giving their sex life top marks (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) as compared to 50% of Americans overall.

6. 2/3 of Gen Z and Millennial Men Think Hair Loss Is Only a Midlife Problem

Two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z and Millennial men say that hair loss is something they'll only need to worry about when they hit their midlife, with just 34% saying men lose their hair before age 40. However, the medical community says otherwise. 

Male pattern hair loss can affect young adult men too, even into their 20s. By age 50, male pattern hair loss affects about 50% of men. 

7. 63% of Americans Who Lose Weight Gain It Back the Same Year; 1 in 5 Gain it Back in 2 Months or Less

Among the 72% of Americans who have successfully lost weight in their lives, nearly two-thirds (63%) report they gained it back within the year—and 92% gained it back at some point. This means only 8% are achieving sustainable weight loss. 

Men are having a significantly more difficult time keeping the weight off, with 69% of men overall, and 77% of Gen Z men, saying they regain what they've lost within the year, as compared to 57% of women who say the same. 

While it's difficult to say why women seem to be more successful than men at keeping weight off longer, internal vs. external motivation may be a factor. 83% of women say their motivation for losing weight was to feel good about themselves vs. 66% of men who reported the same. Twice as many men as women, on the other hand, said their motivation was to look good for others (34% vs. 17%). 

If you're interested in tips for sustainable weight loss, check out these 12 proven ways to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Hims

8. Mental Health Education is the New Sex Education

According to the Hims survey, 26% of parents have educated their children about mental health (an equal percentage of moms and dads) but 90% believe it should be taught in school. 

Outside of money, parents say their own mental health is a top 3 source of stress, right after their future and their weight. With many parents and kids' mental health in crisis, there is a new need for schools to formalize mental health curriculum alongside other health topics, including sex ed. 

9. 51% of Parents Are Still Taking Care of Adult Children

The payoff of parenting—successfully launching children into adulthood and independence—is no longer a reality for more than half of parents (51%) who say they have adult children who they are still actively taking care of. 

The parenting long game may be a contributing factor to why parents are so tapped out. Parents are the most stressed out demographic, with 42% describing themselves as stressed vs. 37% of respondents overall; and 37% describe themselves as burned out as compared to 31% of total respondents. This finding is in sync with a recent report by the Surgeon General saying that American parents' mental health is in decline, creating a public health crisis. 

10. Women Want More Sleep, Men Want More Romance

When asked what they prioritize more, sleep or romance, 62% of women say sleep vs. 51% of men. Men, on the other hand, are far more likely than women to want a little TLC, with 49% saying they value romance over sleep as compared to 38% of women who feel the same. 

Sleep also topped women's list of what would help them have the perfect day—35% of women said a good night's sleep makes for the perfect morning vs. 25% of men—-whereas men were more likely than women to say great sex the night before or in the morning set the stage for the perfect day. 

For men in heterosexual relationships who are hoping to kick off the day with morning sex, they may want to let their partner sleep in a little longer: women's #1 reason for not having more sex is feeling too tired. 

Data & Methodology

This study is based on a 5,504-person online survey, which included 5,000 18-to-65-year-old respondents in the top 50 metropolitan areas (100 respondents per city) and a nationally representative sample of 504 18-to-65-year-old respondents to contextualize results. The study was fielded in May 2024.

Findings were analyzed by more than 100 demographic and psychographic cuts, including city, region, gender (when we refer to "women" and "men," we include all people who self-identify as such), age, race and ethnicity, relationship status, parenting status, sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, asexual, queer, etc.), and political affiliation, among other areas of interest. 

Metropolitan populations were determined by 2022 US Census data. In order to represent as many states as possible within the study, 5 cities that did not fall in the top 50 metropolitan locations were selected in place of cities in states already represented. Cities added to the study included New Orleans, LA (51), Providence, RI (53), Little Rock, AR (59), Honolulu, HI (68), and Omaha, NE (71). Cities replaced in the study included West Palm Beach, FL (39), Jacksonville, FL (41), Grand Rapids, MI (42), Harrisburg, PA (44), and Greensboro, NC (45).

All data in this study are from this source, unless otherwise noted. Independent research firm, Culture Co-op, conducted and analyzed research and findings.

This story was produced by Hims and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.