Millennials: The Future of Health Tracking?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

According to Deloitte report, millennials are the most likely demographic to utilize technology for their health.

A survey of 3,616 U.S. adults has found that, of the adult population, millennials are the most likely to use technology to track their fitness, record health goals, and provide information to providers.

According to the report, 28 percent of all respondents used technology for fitness and health this year, up from 17 percent two years ago. However of those born after 1980, nearly half were health tech users in 2015, compared with only a quarter in 2013.

iHealth Beat writes 25 percent of all respondents said they viewed a scorecard to compare performance of doctors, hospitals or health plans (up from 19 percent in 2013) and that 49 percent of millennials reported doing so (compared with 31 percent in 2013).

“Their expectations are growing rapidly,” said Dr. Harry Greenspun, director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, according to Modern Healthcare. “They're in line with how they do online banking and how they do travel and all that stuff.”

Engagement was higher among patients who had higher incomes, had major health issues, and were younger. Deloitte suggests in the future, the healthcare industry needs to reach both engaged and unengaged patients, focusing on price, quality, and service.

“There have been tools around for a long time around quality,” Greenspun said. “They haven't heavily influenced consumers because they haven't been aligned with quality issues. Getting at prices is incredibly complex, but you'll have more and more people asking these questions.”