A majority of Americans (56%) would want to monitor their health with connected health devices that automatically connect online and send information to their doctor or other people they choose, according to a study by connected health and biometric measurement device company A&D Medical.

The Connected Health Study found that the most popular vital sign Americans want to monitor is blood pressure, with 37% of Americans wanting to monitor that with connected devices followed by:

  • Weight – 33%
  • Chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes, etc) – 25%
  • Sleep – 23%
  • Physical activity – 22%
  • Diet – 19%
  • Vision – 18%
  • Medicine – 16%
  • Sexual activity – 5%
  • Fertility – 4%

One in every two Americans say they want at-home health measurement devices to automatically connect online to send information to their doctor and other people they choose. Americans cited several reasons they would want connected health including:

  • It would keep track of my health information accurately – 30%
  • It would allow me and my doctor to see trends and patterns – 29%
  • It would give me peace of mind to know how I’m doing – 24%
  • It would allow my doctor to be “in the know” to prevent surprises during appointments – 19%
  • It would allow my doctor to monitor my health 24/7 if necessary – 18%
  • Internet of Things is the future of medicine – 11%
  • The whole world is connected so it makes sense for devices to be connected – 10%
  • It’s difficult to enter the information into an app – 3%

A majority of Americans (53%) say they would want connected health devices/apps to come from a company with healthcare experience for the following reasons: medical expertise is important to me (26%); I want to know I can trust the company making the device or app (25%); and companies with medical experience will know what information will be trusted by my doctors or important to my doctors (18%).

The study found that the majority of Americans (66%) are concerned about their weight, with men between the ages of 55 and 64 the most concerned demographic with 74% concerned, followed by women 18-34 with 73% concerned. When it comes to weight, American concerns included the following:

  • Being overweight – 48%
  • Being at risk for diabetes – 26%
  • Considered attractive – 19%
  • Sleep apnea – 11%
  • Cancer – 7%
  • Being underweight – 4%

”While The Internet of Things is delivering a vast array of capabilities that come from connectivity–few come close to the human health benefits that come from professional and accurate monitoring of people’s vital health signs,” says Terry Duesterhoeft, president and CEO of A&D Medical, in a release. “This survey shows that people really care about core health indicators like weight and blood pressure, and many want their doctors to be able to monitor them on a regular basis, with medical grade connected capabilities they can trust with their well-being. A&D Medical is helping millions of Americans with solutions that help improve fitness, lose weight, monitor blood pressure–all while securely sharing and reporting the information to the people you choose.”

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of A&D from December 17-19, 2014 among 2,024 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A&D commissioned the research to bring attention to WellnessConnected, its connected health system with built-in sharing capabilities.