Parks Associates: 60% of U.S. smart watch owners u

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Mar 23, 2017) - Parks Associates today announced that Harry Wang , Senior Director of Research, will present the keynote address, Exploring mHealth: Are we ready for what's next? , at Home Health Technology Summit in New Orleans on Monday, March 27. This presentation will address the impact of mobile technology and apps in digital health, including the health habits and usage trends of smart watch users, currently in 13.3 million U.S. broadband households.

According to 360 View Update: Smart Watch: Purchase Drivers , tracking steps is the leading use case among fitness activities for smart watch owners, with 60% of smart watch users tracking their step count. Fitness trackers and smart watches, with market share dominated by FitBit and Apple, are the most commonly used connected health devices. Two-thirds of adopters use their devices daily, and the majority of smart watch owners use their device for health-related reasons, such as tracking steps and monitoring heart rates.

"Purchase intentions for smart watches have nearly doubled since the third quarter of 2015, and the device has a high NPS (net promoter score), which bodes well for future adoption," Wang said. "The smart watch industry learned that it has to continue to innovate to sustain consumer purchase interest, and health and fitness functions are high among their investment priorities. In the U.S., while companies are still experimenting with form factors, features, battery life, and pricing, the healthcare industry has shown a strong interest in leveraging wearables for patient engagement."

Home Health Technology Summit , supported by Parks Associates, is produced by Home Health Technology News and includes management at home medical equipment companies, home health and hospice agencies, visiting nurse associations, and hospitals with post-acute care facilities.

Parks Associates, which has studied the connected health market since 2006, notes digital health innovations could help patients address or offset concerns about their worsening chronic conditions. The international firm shows that 26% of patients with chronic conditions are concerned with weight issues worsening and 25% fear worsening stress/anxiety levels.

Other connected medical devices have the capability to improve overall care. Blood pressure cuffs remain the most common connected medical device, with pulse oximeters in second place. Among diabetic patients, 78% own a glucometer, but 28% of device owners do not use it daily. Further, 76% of diabetic patients own a smartphone, but only 24% of diabetic patients have ever used a diabetic care app. This gap indicates opportunities for diabetic care teams to encourage patients to use apps to manage their care needs.

New digital health research from Parks Associates includes On-Demand Care: The Patient Wants to See You Now and Connected Health Tracker Service , which examine adoption and usage of connected health solutions driving the health and wellness markets.

Wang will also discuss the connected health market at the 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference , May 23-25, in San Francisco, which will include the pre-show workshop "Connected Health and IoT: Technology Innovators and Disruptions."

Parks Associates' fourth-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers will take place August 29-31 in San Diego, California. Registration is open , and early sponsors include Independa, Alarm.com, ULE Alliance, and Z-Wave.

More information about Parks Associates research is available at www.parksassociates.com . To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com , 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.

Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com