Struggling to stick to New Year health resolutions? The secret to feeling better about your lifestyle might not be the gym, but instead, volunteering. New research by the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that people who volunteer spend 38% less time in hospital.

The research, which was carried out with more than 7,000 Americans over the age of 50, also found that volunteers took more preventative health screenings. It backs up previous studies such as this one from 2013 which claims that mortality rates, again for Americans, are 24%-47% lower for volunteers than their peers.

Both pieces of research were conducted only on people over 50, but there are plenty of other reports which suggest volunteers of all ages are healthier, potentially with lower weight, reduced cholesterol and more stamina, flexibility and less stressed. Several are mentioned here in the December issue of US magazine The Atlantic.Sara Konrath, from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, told the magazine that studies do show that volunteers make better decisions about their health.

It’s hard to tell from the research whether people who look after themselves choose to volunteer or vice versa. But Konrath believes there is now enough quality data to show that volunteering is good for health, on a par with that which says smoking is negative. With this in mind, she questions why doctors have no trouble telling people not to smoke, but rarely encourage volunteering.

The NHS website does indeed recommend volunteering on its Live Well pages, and doctors we spoke to were enthusiastic about the notion of altruism as a way to become healthier.

“This is a very interesting area of healthcare,” according to Kartik Modha, NHS GP and founder of myhealthspecialist.com. “It’s common sense that those who are more engaged in a community purpose that they’re genuinely concerned about will feel better.”

“It is something I would recommend, but there is a barrier in the fact that as a profession we’re so busy and don’t often have easy access to what opportunities are out there for patients. I find myself recommending social groups and community projects as a way of getting people engaged and active.” Fellow GP and spokesperson for Medstars, Noreen Hashmi, says it is acknowledged among doctors that volunteering benefits physical and mental wellbeing. “I have suggested volunteering to patients on many occasions. Often the best results are when patients don’t approach these activities as a ‘cure’ in themselves,” she says. “Genuine altruism, passion about their chosen cause and a positive mental attitude really make the difference.”

Some doctors we spoke to seemed more focused on recommending volunteering to older people for social engagement. But Michael Kinnear, in his mid-20s, believes the effects of volunteering on his health are clear.

After being made redundant in December, he contacted the local animal shelter he’d volunteered for previously. “It was a pharmacist friend who actually recommended the volunteering the first time around. I was feeling depressed and the doctors had suggested I find a counsellor but I didn’t get around to it; I didn’t think it would help.

“When I lost my job at the end of 2015, I started walking the dogs every morning and cleaning out cages. I started jogging with them and then jogging on my own in the mornings, too.”

Kinnear says he has started to feel much better overall and is cooking fresh meals rather than relying on takeaways and has lost a few pounds. “I think the fact that I can see the results of the volunteering straight away – see what a difference it makes to the dogs, is important,” he offers. “I don’t think it would be the same, say, if I worked in a charity shop and didn’t see an immediate benefit.”

Cat from London, who does not wish to give her surname or age, had a top-level job in the social care sector before stress and depression hit. For her, it was a combination of exercise and volunteering that led her back to wellness, starting in 2011.

“I took up dancing, which rebalanced the chemicals in my brain and soon after began volunteering with encouragement from Status Employment in Lambeth,” she says. “I’m now back in full-time employment. Volunteering was the most important thing in getting me back on track.”

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