"People who make an effort to lose weight can help their partner do the same, according to a study published online Feb. 1, 2018, by Obesity and covered by Harvard Health Publishing."

According to AudienceSCAN, 41.5% of adults in the U.S. consider themselves Weight Loss Seekers. Roughly 51.8% are married and 5.5% are single, but cohabiting with a significant other.

"The study tracked the weight-​loss progress of 130 couples over six months. The couples were divided into two groups. In one group, one member of the couple was enrolled in a Weight Watchers program that provided in-​person counseling and online tools to assist with weight loss. In the second group, one member of the couple received a four-​page handout with information on ways to lose weight, like healthy eating, exercise, and weight-​control strategies."

"Over six months, 32% of spouses not assigned to a weight loss program in both groups lost 3% or more of their body weight — which is considered a measurable health benefit. The study also found that the rate at which couples lost weight was interlinked — if one member lost weight at a steady pace, the person's partner did too. Likewise, if one person struggled to lose weight, so did the partner."

While this group is 53% more likely than other adults to plan to purchase diet/​weight loss counseling (such as Weight Watchers) this year, according to AudienceSCAN, Weight Loss Seekers' goals aren't planned to be met through exercise alone. About 28.9% of these consumers also plan to purchase vitamins and nutritional supplements and 65.5% set goals to eat better within the next year.

"The researchers speculated that those who were successful at losing weight created a "ripple effect," in which their partners were able to adopt many of the new healthy habits, too."

While Weight Loss Seekers are working out on the home exercise/​fitness equipment they're 24% more likely to buy than other adults this year. Over 52% of them can be reached by TV ads while they're watching their local news, according to AudienceSCAN. Last year, 61.2% of these consumers took action after seeing TV commercials. Another 58.6% also took action after receiving ads and coupons in their mailboxes last year.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.