The health category has proven its place in the marketplace of magazines, from online and print products, to female and male oriented.

And if new and exclusive data, provided to B&T by magazine industry body group Magazine Networks, is anything to go by, this category is also increasingly influential over its readers.

According to the research, 84 per cent of readers of health mags trust the advice found inside the pages, while 81 per cent feel more informed once they turn the last page.

Talking to B&T about the authority of health mags, Pacific Magazines’ GM of fashion, beauty and health, Jackie Frank, said, “They cut through the clutter (and all the conflicting information) to deliver smart, science-backed advice that actually makes our reader’s lives better. In addition to delivering great content on every channel, we keep our finger firmly on the pulse of what’s happening in the health world.

“The health category inspires and motivates readers across print and digital in different ways. Health as a subject has become increasingly relevant to consumers, and for many is now a more dominant focus than ever before.

“Print is a reader’s health companion – it engages in a friendly tone, inspires and motivates, entertains. Digital relays the information while print adds the elements of guidance and support in a much more intimate environment.”

Within these mags, 79 per cent of readers believe the ads are curated to suit them, while two out of three are influenced by the ads, making them ripe for the picking when it comes to brands advertising in print.

The study showed that 79 per cent of readers feel the ads have been chosen to suit readers ‘like them’, while 69 per cent find the advertisements interesting.

A further 66 per cent claimed they’re influenced by ads in the magazines, while the recommended or featured products inside the contents have influenced 63 per cent.

For brands who advertise in health magazines, there appears to be no shortage of benefits, including driving advocacy in readers by 92 per cent and boosting desire by 75 per cent.

Frank added, “Health is no longer a niche category. It’s a lifestyle philosophy that is now a mainstream genre, in which consumers proudly invest their time and money.

“Consumers who are willing to invest in their own health and wellbeing are prepared to spend whatever it takes to look and feel fantastic. They are an affluent, cashed up audience, which is a great target market  for our advertisers.

“Health and fitness magazines are able to bring their content and advice to life with instructional fitness videos, major outdoor consumer events and ideas that demonstrate a healthy lifestyle with food, activities and exercise.

“For a growing number of people around the world, health and wellbeing have become THE new status symbol.”