In the past few years' Spring Festival gatherings, old classmates met and talked about whether houses have increased in price and whether tickets have been earned; This year, when we gathered again, the topic unexpectedly took a turn - the arrows on the physical examination report and occasional minor health issues became new topics of conversation after three rounds of drinking.

Health is becoming a hot topic that middle-aged people cannot avoid at gatherings. In this anxiety about the body, a new character quietly appears: AI. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, a Chinese restaurant in Xujiahui, Shanghai, had a dinner party with three old classmates, which happened to be a slice of this change.

A class reunion with topics ranging from house tickets to health

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Xiaoming, Liu Hong, and Chen Zhiyong had a dinner at a Chinese restaurant on Tianyaoqiao Road in Xujiahui, Shanghai.

Twenty years ago, they had just completed their studies at the same university and also had their graduation dinner at this restaurant, looking forward to their respective careers and futures. Twenty years later, during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, the three of them came to this restaurant again to catch up on the past. The topic quickly shifted from houses and tickets to another direction - health.

As people reach middle age, health management becomes an unavoidable issue.

Zhao Xiaoming works as a business manager in a foreign company. In the past year, he saw several colleagues and friends of the same age suddenly fall seriously ill, which made him feel a strong sense of "crisis" - if he didn't manage his body well, he might be the next to fall.

Chen Zhiyong has been working in a state-owned enterprise, and although his job is stable, as he grows older, his parents' phone calls every now and then always say the same thing: "Take good care of your health.

Liu Hong has the most direct feeling. He is the R&D director of an Internet enterprise. In September last year, the latest physical examination report issued multiple warnings: high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar, fatty liver, lumbar disc herniation... This often made him worry that his body would suddenly "collapse" one day.

The three of them chatted and found that "every family has its own difficulties": the busy work pace and family affairs often make them overlook their own health issues.

After receiving the medical examination report, Liu Hong has been wanting to undergo a more comprehensive physical examination, but the endless mistakes, achievements, and busy work meetings have repeatedly delayed him.

Zhao Xiaoming also shares the same feeling. In the past six months, whenever he worked overtime for two or three consecutive days, he would experience dizziness, bloating, and other symptoms, which he would continue to endure. After finally having a day off, I had to arrange to take my two sons to an interest class.

Zhao Xiaoming couldn't help but sigh that in middle age, the biggest fear of health management is procrastination. Once a minor illness becomes a serious illness, it will have a huge impact on both the family and personal career.

AI health tools have become a new topic at the dining table

The three of them found resonance as they chatted. The topic gradually shifted to health and body care.

In addition to the clich ? d advice of quitting smoking and drinking, exercising and exercising, and going to bed early and worrying less, Chen Zhiyong mentioned the AI tools he has been using recently. Years ago, he downloaded the Ant Afu App on the recommendation of a friend. My friend recommended it to me, I didn't expect it to be quite effective

He opened the Afu App and entered "Common Health Problems for Middle aged People". After a few seconds, the screen popped up with detailed explanations: three high problems, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, fatty liver, joint problems... each one seemed to be talking about the three of them.

Analysis provided by Afu

Chen Zhiyong said that since using Afu, if you feel a little uncomfortable, just ask. You don't have to bear minor problems, and most importantly, you don't have to search blindly on short video platforms. Take a photo of the physical examination report and upload it, and Afu will provide detailed interpretation and suggestions. So during the Spring Festival, he even had his parents and wife download it.

Zhao Xiaoming and Liu Hong leaned over to take a look for a while, silently took out their phones, downloaded the app on the spot, and also received a red envelope of 16.8 yuan.

I really want Ah Fu to tell me how to effectively prevent high blood sugar, high blood sugar, and fatty liver problems. In the past, medical examination reports only told me that there were problems, but did not tell me what to do, "Liu Hong said.

Zhao Xiaoming is preparing to go home and ask his wife to download one as well. My wife has been busy with work recently and has been experiencing discomfort in her cervical and shoulder vertebrae, but she thinks it's just a "small matter" and that if she's not busy, everything will be fine. Zhao Xiaoming hopes that Afu can give her professional advice, achieve "early treatment", and never delay minor illnesses into serious ones.

A microcosm: Health anxiety and AI companionship

The small episode of the three people's Spring Festival gathering is actually a microcosm of the current hot topics that middle-aged people are paying attention to. Nowadays, the high-frequency topic of Spring Festival dining tables is shifting from houses and tickets to health management.

The Consumer Insights Report released by Egeson China shows that health has surpassed wealth, love, and career to become a major core topic of public concern today. Compared to 2021, the Chinese public's emphasis on health has increased from 78% to 87%, becoming the most concerned issue. The post-00s and post-95s who are about to enter middle age have the greatest increase in their emphasis on health. The post-80s, post-85s, and post-90s who have entered middle age have also seen significant increases.

Accenture China Consumer Insights

The rise of public health awareness is also the core driving force behind the popularity of the Afu app. According to the latest data, Ant Group's user base has exceeded 100 million, making it the world's largest health AI app. The most commonly used functions by users are health Q&A, skin photography, Afu phone consultation, health goals, and health records. During the Spring Festival holiday, the trend of young people returning home to teach their families how to use Afu has driven the continuous surge in Afu App downloads, ranking first on the overall Apple App Store app download chart for several consecutive days.

It is worth noting that in addition to users in first and second tier cities, AI technology also allows residents in towns and rural areas to have zero distance access to top-notch medical and health resources. Data shows that 52% of the new users added to the Ant Afu App during the Spring Festival are from third tier and below regions.

From the dining table of three middle-aged people to the screens of hundreds of millions of people's phones, a change is happening - when 'endure' becomes the enemy of health, people are starting to look for health helpers who are always online. Behind this, it reflects the increasing importance that the public places on health, and it also means that health AI has become a new generation of "private doctors", providing a protective umbrella for the physical health of more families.