Profiling Adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

by Michele Deutschman

Nearly 7 million adults say they have or have had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in the last 12 months, according to the MARS OTC/DTC Study. About 2 out of 3 have been professional diagnosed. 39% are not treating this condition, 33% are treating it with Rx and 21% are treating it with a non-prescription product.

Here are five facts for marketers about this group’s multimedia habits and how they differ from all adults.   

1. Although 69% of adults with IBS are female, they are 35% more likely to read men's magazines and 32% more likely to read health magazines than all adults
2. This group of adults is 50% more likely to say their reason for using the Internet in the last 30 days was for health/medical information and 38% more likely to say job hunting.
3. They are twice as likely to watch health television programs and 49% more likely to watch drama programming.
4. Adults with IBS are 65% more likely to download television programs/movies and watch them later and 51% more likely to use a satellite television service
5. These adults are twice as likely as all adults to say they are comfortable registering on a website that consistently offers useful information about my particular health condition.

Using data from this study can help agencies and marketers understand ailment sufferers, treatment and how to best reach them. For more information about accessing full study results, contact us here.

Kantar Media’s MARS OTC/DTC Study helps agencies, marketers and media make better healthcare media and marketing decisions. It ties multimedia consumption to medical ailments, pharma brands, attitudes and opinions about healthcare and many other data points. A large sample of about 20,000 respondents provides stable and reliable information across categories and brands. Gain insights into category and product usage for 500+ OTC and Rx remedies, detailed information for 70 health conditions, including treatment options and much more.