Ping An Health Cloud Releases Its First Health Data White Paper (Full Text Attached)

Recently, Ping An Health Cloud, in collaboration with the Big Data Intelligent Engine Team of Ping An Technology, released the inaugural "White Paper on Big Data for Commercial Health Insurance in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Health White Paper"). This Health White Paper focuses primarily on commercial insurance policyholders and centers on cardiometabolic diseases. It is reported that Ping An Health Cloud plans to release regular white papers on health big data, covering a broader range of disease areas and content analyses.

This report is based on sampled anonymous data from Ping An Health Cloud. Leveraging a professional engine for healthcare big data, it conducts a comprehensive analysis across multiple dimensions—including users’ age, gender, occupation, education, income, marital status, and smoking and alcohol consumption habits. The resulting data report elucidates the relationship between cardiovascular and metabolic diseases among commercially insured populations and socioeconomic factors as well as lifestyle habits. It also reflects the current state of the commercial health insurance industry and its substantial potential for growth.

The following is an excerpt from the Health White Paper:

User Profile: Over 70% are middle-aged and young adults

The study population of this health white paper had a mean age of 37 years, with over 70% comprising young and middle-aged adults aged 20–60 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. Economic income levels spanned high, medium, and low strata with roughly equal distribution. More than half of the participants had attained secondary education or higher. Occupationally, the majority were ordinary employees of enterprises and public institutions. Seventy percent were married, and approximately 17% had a body mass index (BMI) meeting the criteria for overweight or obesity.

The Chronic Disease Population: Over 60% Are Aged 50–70

The report indicates that individuals aged 50–70 constitute the main body of the chronic disease population, accounting for more than 60% of all patients with chronic conditions. Among those aged 60 and above, the prevalence of having one or more cardiometabolic diseases exceeds 30%, meaning that 3 out of every 10 people in this age group suffer from at least one such condition. Meanwhile, there is a clear trend toward the younger onset of cardiovascular diseases, with patients under the age of 50 comprising more than 20% of all cardiac cases.

Experts indicate that factors such as population aging, urban environmental pollution, occupational and lifestyle stress, unhealthy lifestyles, and diets high in fat and sugar not only exacerbate the burden of chronic diseases among the elderly but also place young people at risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases prematurely.

Overweight or Obese Individuals: 2–4 Times Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Smokers and Drinkers: 50%-90% Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

The health white paper indicates that smoking significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including hypertension, stroke, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Compared with non-smokers, smokers have a 50% to over 90% higher risk of developing these five cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. For alcohol consumers, the risk increases by 60% to 80%.

Overall, big data analysis based on commercial insurance users in the Health White Paper indicates that the incidence rate among the commercially insured population is significantly lower than that of the general population. For instance, the prevalence of hypertension among commercially insured individuals is 5.5%, whereas the prevalence among China’s population aged 15 and above has reached 24%. This disparity highlights both the current limitations in the coverage of commercial health insurance and the substantial potential for its future development. It is believed that the Health White Papers to be released sequentially by Ping An Health Cloud will further demonstrate the value of big data mining in healthcare, providing deep insights and concrete guidance for the medical health sector and market development.

Source: Ping An Health Cloud

White Paper on Big Data in China's Commercial Health Insurance