Thirty-five percent of Americans don’t know their own blood group, according to new research.
While four in five might consider themselves knowledgeable about the human body, the survey of 2,000 Americans revealed only one in 10 know O-negative is the universal blood type.
And three-quarters of respondents could not identify the correct number of blood groups as four.
The survey examined the average person’s health knowledge and revealed two-thirds did not know how many valves the human heart has (the correct answer is four).
When it came to body temperatures, respondents didn’t fare much better since only a third knew a fever is “when the body temperature goes outside its normal range.”
Commissioned by USANA and conducted by OnePoll, the survey found two-thirds could not identify the commonly-assumed average body temperature as 98.6 Fahrenheit.
Could you tell the difference between a liver and kidney? Nearly three in 10 (29%) misidentified the two.
A third also didn’t know the human body has two kidneys — with one in five thinking the body had three or more.
It’s no surprise then, that respondents were tripped up when asked which organs contributed to the body’s detox system.
Nearly a third thought the lungs played a part while one in five named the heart (21%) or bones (19%).
“We have so much going on in our lives, we sometimes forget that our health should come first, and for a lot of us, our high school anatomy classes were ages ago,” said Dr. Rob Sinnott, Chief Science Officer for USANA.
“So I’m not too surprised by the fact that a lot of people aren’t well-versed in the mechanics of the body and nutrition. But with everything happening in the world right now, it’s as good of time as ever to start taking your health seriously and learning about your body and how it works.”
Beyond general health facts, 86% of respondents think they’re knowledgeable about nutrition even though 47% wish they knew more about it.
Less than half of respondents knew the recommended amount of fiber in a daily diet (25–30g).
But while three in four people think vitamins are vital to filling nutritional gaps, 27% are not currently taking any.
All in all, respondents admitted they want to learn more about certain aspects of medicine.
Forty-six percent want to expand their knowledge around mental health while 38% would like to look into cardiology and 32% want further education on reproductive health.
When in doubt, there are standard places Americans go to for answers to their medical queries.
Three in five have sought advice from their doctor, but people are turning to Google more and more to get a grasp on what’s going on with their bodies.
Half of the respondents have turned to the internet for medical advice.
The average person will only wait six hours from a new sensation before googling symptoms.
Respondents will Google from just about anywhere including coffee shops (27%), while out shopping (21%), in the car (38%) or office (46%).
The most common spot by far was in bed though, with 59%.
“If you find yourself with gaps in your nutrition, or would like to optimize your health as much as possible, I recommend adding nutritional supplements to your daily routine,” Dr. Sinnott added. “They are great at giving you the vitamins and minerals your body needs that you don’t necessarily get from diet alone.”
GOOGLE SYMPTOM LOCATIONS
1. Bed 59%
2. Office 46%
3. Sitting in the car 38%
4. Bathroom 35%
5. Kitchen 34%
6. Coffee shop 27%
7. On the street 22%
8. Shopping 21%
TOP HEALTH AREAS PEOPLE WANT TO LEARN ABOUT
1. Nutrition 47%
2. Mental health 46%
3. Cardiology 38%
4. Reproductive health 32%
5. Alternative medicine 31%
6. Chiropractic 27%
7. Orthopedic 21%
8. Pediatric 18%
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