Only 18% of the General Population Use Mobile Apps for Health, Compared to 45% of Those With Diabetes
DALLAS/PRNewswire/ -- Today, 64% of Americans own a smartphone, but a much smaller number say they would use mobile apps to track their health. Only 18% of 1,200 HealthMine survey respondents representative of the general US population say they like to learn health, wellness and lifestyle information through a mobile application.
In stark contrast, consumers with diabetes and pre-diabetes are more engaged in mobile solutions to manage their health; 45% of them use mobile devices or apps to track their disease, according to an August HealthMine survey of 509 consumers with the chronic condition.
Mobile health is still far from broad engagement?unless you are sick.
42% of those with diabetes or pre-diabetes use mobile blood sugar monitors and 39% use mobile blood pressure monitors to track their disease.
Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine said, "Many people do not engage in health until they are sick. But taking action then can be too little too late." He continued: "Today, people can be constantly connected to their health, but they are not. Mobile devices and applications, when integrated tightly into a wellness program, can actually help prevent chronic disease."
HealthMine research of 561 consumers fielded in March/April 2015 revealed that 83% of consumers do not know their blood-glucose level. The cost of ignorance about diabetes is colossal, adding up to $322 billion per year according to the American Diabetes Association. That figure includes loss of productivity due to illness and disability. That means consumers--even those who are healthy--are each paying $1,000 a year for diabetes.
While 29 million Americans have diabetes, 8 million--more than a quarter--are unaware of their condition. What's more, 86 million Americans (more than one out of three) have pre-diabetes -- or above normal blood-glucose levels that, left untreated, cause a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Although pre-diabetes is preventable and treatable, nine out of ten people with pre-diabetes do not know they have it.
"Personal clinical data knowledge is power ? healing power," concluded Williams.
About the Survey
The HealthMine survey queried consumers with diagnosed diabetes and were fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in August 2015. Data were collected via an opt-in panel. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.
About HealthMine
HealthMine, a leading consumer health engagement company, has developed the wellness industry's first and only Personal Clinical Engagement technology platform. HealthMine empowers individuals to make meaning of their health information by automatically collecting clinical data, identifying risk for chronic disease, and setting health goals. Making it easy for consumers to manage their own health, HealthMine provides a personalized health portal available on any device, and delivers tailored recommendations, resources and incentives. HealthMine has more than one million users, and has saved employers and payers more than $100 million in healthcare costs. The company, founded in 2008, is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis.
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SOURCE HealthMine
CONTACT: Reena Mukamal, 650-218-3139, rmukamal@healthmine.com