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
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Biohazard Cleanup: The Importance of Proper Disposal and Containment
    December 2, 2023
    Medicare Helps Seniors, and People with Disabilities & ESRD
    November 27, 2023
    The Link Between Allergies and Sinusitis & Strategies for Relief
    November 27, 2023
    What Health Complications Can a Sunburn Cause?
    November 22, 2023
  • 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
    Empathy-medicine
    Empathy: Beyond a Connection
    September 20, 2014
    Innovating Healthcare System Strategy: Creating the Commercial ACO
    September 30, 2012
    risk management in surgery
    Risk-Proofing the Surgical Episode for Patients
    October 31, 2014
    Latest News
    Automation in Pharmacovigilance: A Double-Edged Sword
    November 15, 2023
    What Does Science Say About Modern Health Practices?
    November 12, 2023
    Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing in Healthcare
    October 26, 2023
    10 Proven Strategies to Level Up Your Health Business
    October 25, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: How the US Healthcare Industry Can Encourage Fitness Tracking
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
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
Last updated: 2014/10/15 at 8:00 AM
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.

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 tracking, wearable tech

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Cameron Graham October 15, 2014 October 15, 2014
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article #hcsmca: Taking Stock at 4 Years
Next Article Electron Micrograph of HCV Is Hepatitis C Treatment Cost-Effective?

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

weight loss
The Key Steps For Affective Weight Loss And Improving Health
Weight Loss Wellness December 6, 2023
Empowering Wellness: HBOT for Home Use Demystified
Empowering Wellness: HBOT for Home Use Demystified
Wellness December 5, 2023
Invasive Dentistry
Precision And Comfort: The Role Of Lasers In Minimally Invasive Dentistry
Dental health Specialties December 4, 2023
sublingual immunotherapy
Sublingual Immunotherapy: A Safe and Effective Alternative to Allergy Shots
Allergy Specialties December 2, 2023

You Might also Like

Medical Device Concept Development Paving the Way for Healthcare Innovations
Medical Devices

Medical Device Concept Development: Paving the Way for Healthcare Innovations

December 2, 2023
healthcare business website
Technology

Choosing the Right Domain Name for Your Healthcare Business

November 27, 2023
healthcare software development
Technology

Shaping the Future of Healthcare Software Development

November 23, 2023
Modern Health Practices
Medical Innovations

What Does Science Say About Modern Health Practices?

November 12, 2023
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US
© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?