Majority track health with apps, but few share with docs

The majority of people use mobile apps on a daily basis to track calorie intake and monitor physical activities, however only 40 percent share such data with their physicians, according to a study from mobile engagement provider Mobiquity.

The company commissioned independent research firm Research Now to survey 1,000 consumers who use, or plan to use, health and fitness mobile apps. The study was conducted in March 2014.

Mobiquity's "Get Mobile, Get Healthy: the Appification of Health & Fitness" study revealed that 34 percent of mobile health and fitness app users said they would increase their use of apps if their doctors actively recommended it. As such, ample opportunity exists for providers to leverage mobile apps to encourage healthier behaviors and improve outcomes, according to the study.

In other findings:

• 73 percent of people claim to be healthier by using a smartphone and apps to track their health and fitness
• 53 percent discovered they were eating more calories than they realized once they started using health apps
• 63 percent intend to continue, and even increase, their mobile health tracking in the next five years
• 55 percent of mobile health app users plan to introduce wearable devices like pedometers, wristbands and smartwatches to their health monitoring in coming years.
• 69 percent reported that using a smartphone to track their health and fitness is more important to them than using their phone for social networking

Access the study here.