MALAYSIANS ADOPT WAIT-AND-SEE APPROACH IN TACKLING MINOR AILMENTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The majority of Malaysians would
rather wait to see minor ailments get better on their own before seeking
treatment, a global online survey revealed.

The survey, conducted in April by The Nielsen Company in collaboration
with the Association of The European Self-Medication Industry, showed that out
of the 500 Malaysians surveyed only 30 per cent would seek self-medication,
while the rest adopted a wait-and-see approach at the first sign of
sickness.

Nielsen Malaysia said the 51-country survey interviewed 28,000 Internet
users to decipher consumer attitudes and consumption habits of non-prescription
medicines as well as cultural factors that influence consumers' behaviour
towards self-medication and treatment of minor ailments.

"As the finding reveals, two-thirds of Malaysians or 65 per cent would
rather wait and see whether the symptoms persist before treating it themselves,
while a third or 30 per cent instantly self-medicate at the first sign of
sickness.

"A hardy minority of five per cent will let their body fight the illness
and not take medicine at all. The Malaysian result is in line with international
insights which saw a vast majority of global consumers, 65 per cent, would
rather monitor their symptoms before taking medicines for minor ailments," the
statement said.



The survey also revealed that Malaysians were most susceptible to heartburn
and flu, with about four in 10 having suffered from either one of these ailments
in the past month.

Malaysians, the survey revealed, were not about to dice with danger when it
came to choosing a non-prescription medicine to treat minor ailments with 59 per
cent ranking safety as their top-most priority.

Another 47 per cent relied on confidence in the product while 37 per cent
banked on effectiveness of the medicines.

The statement also said that in Malaysia, 52 per cent chose to turn to
their doctors for advice and 51 per cent hoped for more health education to be
made available.

"In the increasingly multi-media society like Malaysia, more than a third
of locals believe that the information on the World Wide Web will be able to
improve their knowledge and ability in caring for their health," it
said.

The Nielsen company is a global information and media company with leading
market positions marketing and consumer information, television and other media
measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business
publications.

The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey was conducted in April 2008
among 28,253 internet users in 51 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North
America and the Middle East.