Background
AbbVie has launched a new programme called ‘Live:Lab’, which aims to improve the nation’s health by addressing the ‘Fear of Finding Out’. This signifies those who postpone seeing a medical professional at the first signs of a health concern because of fear. Any form of help-seeking delay is of concern to public health. It has been shown that delay worsens prognosis for mental health, cardiovascular disease, many cancers among other conditions.1
Leading think tank 2020health and AbbVie have partnered to publish an evidence review revealing that the ‘Fear of Finding Out’ makes up a third of conscious reasons why individuals may delay or avoid seeking medical attention when needed. The research found that this is driven by a subset of barriers including worry, fear and anxiety.2 Given these findings, Live:Lab intends to find a solution to help remove these barriers and empower people to take control of their wellbeing, to help reduce preventable health conditions.
This unique collaboration brings together experts in academia, industry, and members of the public to address this barrier. One of the ways the Live:Lab collaborators will solve the ‘Fear of Finding Out’ is by crowd-sourcing lifestyle data. This will enable them to efficiently gain a deeper understanding on human behaviour and help them understand how people engage with health information. With this knowledge, the collaborators will proceed to create a tangible solution to improve the health of the nation.