About 11% of adult mobile phone users in the U.S. have downloaded an application that helps them track or manage their health, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, MobiHealthNews reports (Dolan, MobiHealthNews, 11/3).
For the survey, researchers polled 2,260 adults between July 25 and Aug. 26 on whether they downloaded apps to a cellphone or tablet computer (Kanaley, Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/3).
Key Findings
Twenty-nine percent of survey respondents who have downloaded an app said they have downloaded a health-related app, including 11% of adult cellphone users who said they downloaded a health app directly to their phone.
According to the report, the 11% figure is "a statistically insignificant difference" from the 9% of cellphone users who reported downloading a health app in September 2010.
The survey also found that there has been little change from last year in adoption rates of health apps among different ethnic and racial groups.
The survey defines "health apps" to include "a wide range of software applications, from those that count calories and help manage an exercise routine, to more advanced apps that monitor vital signs and help individuals manage serious health conditions" (MobiHealthNews, 11/3).