The majority of Americans report feeling their happiest during the summer months and experience the blues at summer’s end. Even so, 60 percent report that they feel re-energized during the seasonal transition from summer to fall; they view it as an opportunity to reset their goals, which for many includes rebooting the healthy habits they let fall by the wayside during summer.

These are some of the findings from the End-of-Summer Checkup, a survey from digital health company Rally Health, Inc. that examines Americans’ perception of their health routines during the summer, including changes in dietary and fitness routines, as well as end-of-summer mood shifts and their look toward autumn. Findings include:

  • The transition from summer to fall can be a downer. Americans overall (58 percent) are happiest during the summer and 60 percent report feeling sad when the days start getting shorter. Some (51 percent) admit that they experience end-of-summer blues, and some (40 percent) report that the end of summer is stressful because it means it’s back to “normal life.”
  • Still, a majority of Americans feel re-energized by the seasonal transition and use it to sharpen their focus on personal goals. Sixty percent say they make the most of the transition from summer to fall by using it as an opportunity to set new personal goals and resolutions for the remainder of the year.
  • And for many Americans, it’s specifically about their health goals. Forty-five percent say they use the end of summer as an opportunity to reboot the healthy habits they let slip during summer. Taking the backseat in summer, they say, are healthy eating habits (44 percent), exercise routines (42 percent) and sleep schedules (59 percent).
  • However, there is more to be done to reboot health. While one in three Americans say they use the end of summer as a time to visit their doctor, either for an annual checkup or screenings, about the same amount (35 percent) report that they don’t have a primary care doctor. One in four parents doesn’t think they need to take their child to the doctor unless the child is sick. At the same time, almost 70 percent say they want to learn more about preventive health care and how to approach it.
  • Ranking their health priorities, 44 percent of Americans say mental health is the No. 1 most important area of health to them. It is followed by sleep (25 percent), nutrition (16 percent), social health (9 percent) and exercise (6 percent).

“At Rally, we’re always seeking insight into the views and needs of Americans related to their health so we can better support them to live healthier lives,” said Brenda Yang, chief marketing officer, Rally Health. “We learned from this survey that the transition from summer to fall is a good time for people to refocus their health priorities, and our goal is to help them do just that by offering a simple web and mobile tool that enables them to better manage their health.”

For additional findings from the survey, visit http://RallyHealth.com/SummerSurvey.