By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    Everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid treatment
    February 10, 2022
    Which Mushroom Capsules Are Good for Your Health?
    May 5, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Clinical Trials
    Can You Participate in a Clinical Trial?
    April 28, 2022
    5 Things to Take Care of When You Go Into Hospital
    July 24, 2020
    Pharmacists help you
    How A Pharmacist Can Help You
    November 28, 2022
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How the US Healthcare Industry Can Encourage Fitness Tracking
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > How the US Healthcare Industry Can Encourage Fitness Tracking
DiagnosticseHealthMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

How the US Healthcare Industry Can Encourage Fitness Tracking

Cameron Graham
Cameron Graham
Share
5 Min Read
fitness tracker
SHARE

fitness trackerOver the last decade or so, the U.S. healthcare system has undergone a series of rapid technological advances. These include the adoption of electronic health record systems, a widespread push for better patient engagement through digital patient portals, and the impending adoption of the ICD-10 code system.

fitness trackerOver the last decade or so, the U.S. healthcare system has undergone a series of rapid technological advances. These include the adoption of electronic health record systems, a widespread push for better patient engagement through digital patient portals, and the impending adoption of the ICD-10 code system.

At the same time, wearable technology, mainly in the form of fitness tracking devices, has established a foothold in the consumer market. According to a survey of 979 U.S. adults, 25.1 percent of adults track their weight, diet, or exercise using a digital fitness tracker or smartphone-based app. The healthcare potential of such patient-generated data is huge. Accurate, patient-generated data could help physicians remotely monitor patient-outcomes, give better preventative care advice, and spots trends within patient populations.

However, although the market for such devices and apps is growing, nearly three-quarters of American adults are still not tracking their fitness or health using digital devices (if at all). Wearable fitness trackers, such as the FitBit, have been on the market for close to a decade, and are available at numerous price-points. Yet they remain largely relegated to fitness-enthusiasts, and niche communities such as the quantified-self movement.

More Read

Health Records for Your Kids Now in the Palm of Your Hand
Google Glass in Medicine: Why There Is Promise
Focused Ultrasound Used in New Tumor Detection Technique
How Technology Can Change Healthcare In Developing Countries
5 of the Coolest Healthcare Tech Initiatives of the Past Five Years

In order to better determine the current barriers to adoption, and help the healthcare community encourage tracking, TechnologyAdvice recently conducted a nationwide survey looking at the current rates of fitness tracking, and ways in which non-tracking adults could be better engaged.

The results indicate that one of the main barriers to adoption is a general lack of interest, followed by concerns over the cost of fitness tracking devices or apps. 27.2 percent of respondents cited a lack of interest, while 17.7 percent cited device cost.

In order to convince those who simply lack interest in tracking their fitness or health, physicians may need to better articulate the benefits of such devices or provide direct incentives for using them. The price of wearable devices should continue to drop as the market expands, and single-focus devices (such as a FitBit) are forced to compete with comprehensive offerings like the upcoming Apple Watch.

Interestingly, 43.7 percent of respondents didn’t have a specific reason for not using such devices to track their health or fitness. For those looking to encourage adoption, this is a positive sign, as it suggests that a large portion of adults have simply not considered the idea before. Because there is no direct barrier to adoption with this demographic, it’s likely that increased marketing or better targeted ad-campaigns could convince many of these people to track their health.

Despite the noted barriers to adoption, we also found significant potential for the healthcare industry to increase the number of fitness-tracking adults, using a variety of incentives.

Just under half of non-tracking adults (48.2 percent) said they would use a fitness tracker if it was provided to them (at no cost) by their physician.

Given that the vast-majority of US adults currently do not track their fitness or health using digital devices, this is a major opportunity to spur adoption. The responses indicate that by providing free devices to patients, physicians could actually double the amount of adults who track such metrics.

The possibility of lower health insurance premiums also appears to be an effective incentive. 57.1 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to use a fitness tracker if they could receive lower health insurance premiums.

In contrast, just 44.3 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to use a fitness tracker if it allowed their physician to offer better health care advice.

Given such discrepancies, we believe that the best methods to promote further fitness-tracking adoption among adults are through physician-provided (or subsidized) devices, or health insurance incentives.

If healthcare providers and insurance companies work together to encourage tracking, such behavior and device usage could grow exponentially in the near future. Even if these incentives are implemented separately, they would likely have a large impact on the fitness-tracking and wearable device market.

fitness tracking / shutterstock

TAGGED:fitness trackingwearable tech
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Would a Birth Control Counseling App Help Teens?

August 10, 2011

International Student Design Contest for Medical Technology

September 30, 2013
Mobile Health

Meet the Bone Ninja, an iPad App That Analyzes Bone Deformities!

November 28, 2012
Medical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

The Evolution of Medical Imaging and Its Impact on the Healthcare System

November 13, 2017
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?