A new report from Dallas-based Parks Associates finds that one third of U.S. households that utilize broadband services already are cashing in on digital health and wellness devices such as FitBit and smart watches. And these devices aren’t a fad. They are being used.

So if you want to get in better shape, what are you asking for this Christmas?

Based on a survey of 5,000 households with broadband, Parks reports that ownership of fitness and wellness devices surged to 33 percent in October, up from 26 percent the previous year. Survey participants were between the ages of 25 and 44.

Such news is good for Triangle companies such as Valencell that are looking to cash in on mobile health devices.

And there’s still a huge market opportunity with only 10 percent of households owning connected fitness trackers.

Smart watches lag at 4 percent.

“Digital fitness tracker is the fastest growing category in the connected health device market, with Fitbit the clear leader with more than 50 percent market share, and its early 2015 acquisition of FitStar will help the company expand its wellness services,” said Harry Wang, Director, Mobile and Health Products Research at Parks Associates.

By the way, once you buy a device, chances are you are still using it – not breaking or losing it, either.

“Attrition of fitness tracker usage, a closely watched metric, is not as bad as the industry once perceived, at least not among existing users,” Wang reported.

“Our study finds that only 12 percent of digital fitness tracker owners have cut back usage from at least 1-3 times per week to less than once a week.  Overall, three-fourths of digital fitness tracker owners use the device at least 1-3 times per week, and Fitbit has the most active users – 68 percent of Fitbit owners use the device daily, the highest among all brands.”

However, just whether such devices will have an impact on wellness long term remains unknown.

“Americans overall have begun to tap technology for health and care management, but they are under-informed about wellness benefits offered by their health insurers and overly optimistic about their health,” Wang explained.

“Our study shows that 40 percent of insured consumers are not aware of any wellness benefits from their health insurers, and although more than 60 percent of consumers have at least one chronic condition, only 20% are concerned about it. Healthcare providers and wellness app developers could tap into these market opportunities by boosting educational efforts, enlisting collaboration from other types of care providers, and pushing for greater service integration with current technologies.”

Read more at:

http://www.parksassociates.com/360view/360-health-2015