[Photo: KB Financial Group]
KB Financial Group released survey results showing Koreans’ interest in health management is expanding from a focus on the body to mental health and quality of life. Interest in sleep and stress management rose, but the rate of actually practicing mental health management was low. The survey also found a gap between interest in “well-aging” and the level of preparation.
According to KB Financial Group’s “2026 Korea Wellness Report” published on Oct. 25, sleep ranked first as a health management interest area at 54.0 percent, following 2024. Stress management rose 5.3 percentage points from 2 years earlier to 51.9 percent, moving into second place. Diet management fell 2.7 percentage points to 44.3 percent, staying in third.
There was a wide gap between interest in mental health and actual management behavior. While 90.7 percent of respondents viewed mental health as a major area of wellness, 35.7 percent said they usually manage their mental health. Only 26.3 percent said they had tried activities to care for their mind.
Basic health management habits showed little change from 2 years earlier. The share receiving regular health checkups was 85.0 percent, while 57.8 percent said they take health functional foods.
The share of respondents saying they manage their diet was 67.0 percent, similar to the previous survey, but the purpose of management changed. Those citing weight management rose 5.8 percentage points to 43.8 percent, while disease prevention fell 9.3 percentage points to 30.5 percent.
A tendency to emphasize psychological effects in exercise strengthened. Respondents choosing emotional refreshment such as stress relief as an exercise purpose rose 13.3 percentage points from 2 years earlier to 34.8 percent. The increase by age group was 14.9 percentage points among those in their 40s and 17.6 percentage points among those in their 50s. The share of outdoor activities such as running, jogging and hiking rose 4.8 percentage points to 38.5 percent.
Problems of fatigue and lack of sleep were also confirmed. While 51.2 percent of respondents rated their mental health status positively, 49.9 percent said they had experienced fatigue that did not go away despite sufficient rest over the past month.
Average daily sleep time fell to 6.3 hours this year from 6.5 hours in 2024. The share sleeping 7 hours or more fell 8.8 percentage points to 41.6 percent. Among those saying their sleep quality is poor, 45.9 percent pointed to mobile phone use right before falling asleep as the main disrupting factor.
There was also a gap between awareness and practice regarding “well-aging,” preparing for a healthy old age. While 59.9 percent said they are very interested in well-aging, 29.8 percent said they are actually managing it. In particular, women in their 40s to 60s showed a relatively higher tendency to worry about cognitive health problems due to aging.
Health management using digital technology is also spreading. Some 52.4 percent of respondents were using digital devices or applications for health management, and 66.5 percent of them used them at least 3 times a week. The share of baby boomers using them at least 3 times a week was 73.3 percent.
Some 46.2 percent said they have used generative artificial intelligence to obtain or consult on health and medical information. The Z generation stood at 55.5 percent, above the overall average. In particular, the share using AI for emotional and psychological counseling showed generational differences, at 12.6 percent for baby boomers and 37.1 percent for the Z generation.
On GLP-1 class obesity treatments, 78.0 percent of respondents said they were aware of them, and 10.3 percent said they had used them. Usage experience by generation was higher for the Z generation at 16.5 percent than for baby boomers at 2.9 percent.
KB Financial Group’s Management Research Institute said, “We hope this report helps understand changes in health management methods and supports efforts to prepare practical measures.”
