Health Device Opportunities for Cable

Park Associates found that connected health device ownership, including digital fitness trackers, networked weight scales, connected treadmills and blood pressure meters, rose from 24% to 33% of US broadband HHs between 2013 and 2015. The growth came as cable and telecom companies expand their presence in the IoT and health IT space. Adoption of wearables and connected health devices is growing, evidenced by the stellar growth achieved by Fitbit in 2015, according to Harry Wang, dir of health and mobile product research at Parks. He cited AT&T’s announcement at the 2016 HIMSS that it’s working with 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 in a release. 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. Providers need to keep this in mind as they focus on increased engagement,” Wang said.