What Healthcare Activities Are Adults Doing on their Smartphones?

by Jayne Krahn

Currently, almost all (90%) U.S. adults use or own a cellphone, according to the 2014 MARS Consumer Health Study. 66% of those cellphones are smartphones, meaning 142 million smartphones are owned or being used by adults in America this year. Four in five adults are using their devices to take/send photos, more than half are using them to catch up or post on a social network and 64% have downloaded an app.

More importantly, how are adults using their smartphones as healthcare tools? We found that almost half of all adults who own or use a smartphone have used their device in the last 30 days to participate in a healthcare related activity. Most of them (43 million) are looking up information on a specific health condition. What else are they doing? More than a fourth of cell-phone owners or users have used their device to look up information on a health condition, 16% have used it to refill a prescription and 14% have used it to look for a doctor.

Kantar Media’s MARS Consumer Health Study helps agencies, marketers and media make better healthcare media and marketing decisions. It ties multimedia consumption to medical ailments, pharma brands, attitudes and opinions about healthcare and many other data points. A large sample of about 20,000 respondents provides stable and reliable information across categories and brands. Gain insights into category and product usage for 500+ OTC and Rx remedies, detailed information for 70 health conditions, including treatment options and much more.