Mobile Health in 2012

[responsive] [/responsive]The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released findings on a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International on the use of mobile phones to look up health and medical information. They conducted a nationwide survey of 3,014 adults living in the United States from landline phones and cell phones. Over the past few years, mobile health has become more and more popular. Nearly 85 % of US adults own a cell phone and 53% of those people are smartphone owners. Information has become readily available in the palm of your hands. Below are some of the key points of the survey. View the full report by the Pew Research Center.

Mobile Health Continues To Climb In Popularity, Especially Among Smartphone Owners

According to the new survey conducted in August-September 2012, 31% of cell phone owners say they use their phone to look for health or medical information online. That is up from 17% of cell phone owners in September 2010.

Half Of Smartphone Owners Have Used Their Phone To Look Up Health Information

52% of smartphone owners have used their phone to search for health information, compared with 6% of other cell phone owners.

Younger Adults, Minorities, And Those In Particular Need Of Health Information Lead The Way

Among all cell phone owners, some demographic groups are more likely than others to look for health information on their phones: Latinos, African Americans, those between the ages of 18 and 49, and college graduates.

Few Receive Text Alerts About Health Or Medical Issues

Text messaging is a nearly universal activity, especially among younger cell phone owners, but it has not yet had a significant impact on the health market.

80% of cell phone owners say they send and receive text messages.  Just 9% of cell phone owners say they receive any text updates or alerts about health or medical issues.  Women and those between the ages of 30-64 are more likely than other cell phone owners to have signed up for health text alerts. Smartphone owners are more likely than other cell phone owners to get text updates about health: 9%, compared with 6%.

1 in 5 Smartphone Owners Has A Health App

As of April 2012, 84% of smartphone owners had downloaded an app of any kind to their phone.  By comparison, 19% have downloaded an app specifically to track or manage health.  Women, those under age 50, those better educated, and those with an annual household income over $75,000 are more likely to have downloaded a health app.

Exercise, Diet, And Weight Apps Most Popular

Exercise, diet, and weight apps are the most popular types of health apps downloaded.  Some 38% of health app users track their exercise, 31% monitor their diet, and 12% use an app to manage their weight. Other health apps track menstrual cycles, blood pressure, pregnancy, blood sugar or diabetes, and medication. The WebMD app was also cited, along with a number of other brand-name apps.

Do you use your phone to look up health information? What’s your favorite health App? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project