HealthContentAdvisors

Nielsen Ailment Panels Provide Valuable Consumer Insights for Clients

• Posted April 30th 2008
• by Marji

NielsenHealth has launched 32 new ailment panels designed to provide manufacturers and retailers insights into consumer behaviors and attitudes toward diseases and medical conditions from which they suffer.

NielsenHealth’s ailment panels consist of 110,000 U.S. consumers who are suffering from one or more ailments that are tracked by Nielsen. These include allergies, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Each panel tracks panelists suffering from a particular condition through their actual purchases, demographics, and other facts related to conditions and treatments.

A press release announcing the launch of the panels noted that research related to allergies revealed that severe sufferers were considering OTC (over the counter) medication as a treatment option when they once preferred prescription medication. Such information is undoubtedly valuable to manufacturers and retailers who may, as a result, change their strategy and focus more on their OTC offerings.

This one example shows the potential power of this information, and how important it is for the long-term success of manufacturers and retailers. Their success hinges on them bringing the right products to the marketplace, and these ailment panels should prove to serve as an important partner in these companies’ future development. Consumers will also win. These panels will help ensure their voices are heard and that the market will yield the most effective remedies available.