Parks Associates released new research today showing connected health device ownership (including digital fitness trackers, networked weight scales, connected treadmills, and blood pressure meters) has risen from 24% to 33% of U.S. broadband households between 2013 and 2015. 360 View Update: Shopping For Care: Insights from Consumers also reports 13% of U.S. broadband households own two or more connected health devices.

Adoption of wearables and connected health devices is growing, evidenced by the stellar growth achieved by Fitbit in 2015, according to Harry Wang, Director, Health and Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates. The health and wellness industry is also speeding up its pace of innovation. For example, at the 2016 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition this week, AT&T announced partnerships with health and wearable players including Becton Dickinson, WellNest, and OneMedia.

“While opportunity exists across all demographics, the growing demand from the Baby Boomer generation is encouraging,” Wang said. “These consumers face a variety of health and mobility challenges, so there is tremendous potential for accelerated adoption, improved outcomes, and ultimately significant cost savings for both companies and consumers. Interoperability and standards compliance will be the primary challenges as companies look to expand the connected health market and engage this demographic.”

The research firm reports 37% of consumers aged 18-24 own a connected health device, while 42% of consumers aged 24-34 own one. Among consumers 65 and older, 31% own a connected health device.

“Personal experience, attitudes towards preventive care, emotional attachment to care services, and perceived usefulness of support tools all help define what clicks with consumers,” Wang said. “Providers need to keep this in mind as they focus on increased engagement.” 

Digital pedometers and fitness trackers experienced the most growth between 2013 and 2015. Use of digital pedometers and fitness trackers in U.S. broadband households doubled from 5% to 10% between 2013 and 2015. Connected exercise equipment remains the most popular health device at nearly 14%.

In the whitepaper “Key Developments in the Connected Health Markets,” Parks Associates’ digital health analysts examine consumer adoption of health-based devices, apps, and services and the unique healthcare market within the consumer-based IoT. Whitepaper topics include:

• Health industry developments to watch
• Digital fitness tracker adoption and market share
• Consumer awareness of wellness benefits
• Privacy and security concerns when using connected health devices

Parks Associates will host the third-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers on August 30-September 1, 2016, in San Diego, CA. The executive conference spotlights connected health technologies as part of the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon and the transformational impact of connected health solutions on the U.S. health system. Connected Health Summit also highlights the key trends in the connected health industry and offers strategic insights about consumer engagement, care accountability, service innovations, and connected health platforms.

For more information, visit www.parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with our analyst team or to request specific connected health data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com

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