Battling the physical discomfort of an illness is a challenge on its own, but a new survey conducted by the #1 cold shortening brand, Zicam, sheds light on an additional burden: sick shaming. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults exposes a trend, with 69% admitting to fearing judgment from others when they sneeze when they are well.

The survey delves deeper into attitudes toward cold, flu, and allergy symptoms, with an overwhelming 87% of respondents confessing to feeling self-conscious about their symptoms when sick with the cold or flu. This discomfort extends to moments of sneezing, with a significant majority (69%) nervous that people will mistake their sneezing for illness.

“Based on the results, it's clear that many individuals feel apprehensive by the inconvenience of cold, flu, and allergy symptoms,” says Tom Abene, R&D Director at Church & Dwight Co., Inc. “Luckily, with our Cold Remedy formulas, Zicam helps shorten your cold when taken at the first sign of symptoms.”

The survey provided an abundance of insights about how U.S. adults manage being sick and the corresponding symptoms, including -

Most Dreaded Symptoms: Unveiling the symptoms that trigger the most self-consciousness, the survey found that Americans are most concerned about the ones that broadcast their illness to others. Leading the list are dealing with a lingering cough (62%), having to blow their nose (62%), and loud sneezing (36%).

Fear of Being Perceived as Sick: Adults (72%) are significantly more likely to worry about others thinking they are sick when sneezing. This fear is even more prevalent among women, with 75% of women fearing being labeled as sick compared to 62% of men.

Generational Divide: Uncovering a generational discrepancy in attitudes towards illness, with Gen-Z emerging as the most uneasy group. An astounding approximately 95% of Gen-Z respondents admitted to feeling self-conscious about at least one cold and flu symptom, compared to approximately 87% of Millennials, 89% of Gen X, and 81% of Boomers.

Parental Resilience Remains Supreme: Parents exhibit a higher threshold for cold and flu symptoms compared to non-parents, with approximately 82% of parents stating that symptoms wouldn't deter them from their responsibilities, whether at work, the gym, or attending special events.

Resilience: Despite their unease, most demonstrate resilience when confronted with cold and flu symptoms. A significant majority (69%) indicated a willingness to power through illness for various reasons, including pre-planned trips (30%), work obligations (29%), gym sessions (21%), special gatherings (20%), or entertainment events like concerts (19%).

Cold vs. Allergies: When faced with the choice between battling a cold or enduring allergy season, most Americans (53%) would opt to suffer through a cold, highlighting the discomfort associated with seasonal allergies.

“The overwhelming self-consciousness highlighted in the data underscores the urgent need for solutions that not only help shorten the duration of colds at the first sign of symptoms, but also address the social stigma associated with illness,” says Abene.

For more information, go to Zicam.com.

About Zicam:

Zicam, America’s #1 cold shortening brand, offers a range of over-the-counter cold remedy products designed to help shorten the duration of the common cold when taken at the first sign.

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