A recent survey by TechnologyAdvice Research found that only one in four adults are using a fitness tracker or smartphone app to track their health, weight, or exercise. The most common reasons cited for not using one were either a lack of interest or concerns over the cost of the devices. So far, these results seem to be about what you might expect.
But then they asked those who don’t use a tracker whether saving money on health insurance would make them more likely to use one of the devices. Nearly three out of five respondents said that this might make them want to wear one. And nearly half of those not wearing trackers said that they would use one if given to them by their physician.
This is good news for the health insurance companies and employers that are giving free fitness bands to their subscribers. If the employees can see a potential benefit in the form of lower insurance costs, then participation in the programs is likely to be higher. And higher participation will lead to more collected information, which should lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, as well as better preventative care. And that should lead to lower costs.
