Using Health Data to Fuel a Health Movement
It’s the holiday season and I believe we can be optimistic that the dinner conversations about health have the potential to be more interesting than ever. Why? Because we are approaching a tipping point with actionable and interesting consumer health data.
This movement is well underway and I continue to see evidence of this more and more in my work, daily life, and my travels across the US and the globe.
According to Fitt Insider:
- The global fitness tracker market is expected to reach $139B by 2028.
- 39% of US consumers own a smartwatch or fitness tracker; 14% bought their device since the start of the pandemic, per Deloitte.
- The most popular uses include counting steps (59%) and measuring fitness (42%), but detecting stress levels (17%) and COVID symptoms (11%) are gaining.
It’s clear that health data will continue to be a great unlock in getting Americans to start discussing and improving their overall health. However, there are three big cultural and systemic dominos that need to fall for this to truly become a broader health movement and it’s only a matter of time.
- Continued Adoption of wearables of other health data collection mechanisms.
39% is good but when you dig a bit deeper you can see the potential. Take our close circle of seven late 30- or early 40-something friends “whom we affectionately call our commune”. We have 7 people with 6 wearables: two whoop straps, one apple watch, one Oura Ring, one has nothing and two Amazon Halos.
The wearables have slowly shifted the conversation we have about our health. It used to be singularly focused on fitness (did you go to the gym today, did you go for a bike ride/run, etc). Which isn’t a very interesting and always feels like a humble brag when talking about lifting technique at a dinner party ;-) Now our conversations have shifted from being about fitness to being about health. We are talking about how much sleep we are getting, our Heart Rate Variability (HRV), and how stressed or recovered we feel. This then leads to a much more interesting conversation about tips/tricks and habits that can help us improve. Maybe it’s drinking a little less when traveling.
- Reduce the stigma and friction of talking to a professional that is leveraging that data.
Now that wearables prompt a more interesting conversation about health it becomes clear that we all have different options on what is healthy. Think of all the crazy fads that come and go. Currently, I am amazed at the carnivore diet. That can’t be a sustainable option! The point is we are not educated on what metrics matter when it comes to our health. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed and decide not to do anything.
I liked this quote from the CEO of a Personal Training company, “there’s an opportunity to surround people with a “constellation of experts” to support their well-being.
Similarly, another CEO said: “trainers will become a part of your inner support circle made up of physicians, psychologists, and dietitians.”
- Healthcare legislation reform further incentives data sharing and reimbursement for taking preventive action.
There is progress here and reason to have some hope here, without being too pollyanna about a future preventive health system. I have seen the impact of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily authorizing new digital health reimbursement codes. As an advisor for a virtual cardiac rehab company (Chanl Health) this made access to care possible via new digital tools and provided a financial incentive for the care provider. Having worked directly for one of the largest healthcare insurance companies, I can say that they see the trends clearly and are investing heavily in the data, technology, and people who can help further this preventive health movement.
Have hope, think about getting a wearable, and still prepare yourself for grandma telling you about all her medical appointments at the dinner table.
Cheers,
Jason
