According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a project Pew Research Center, two-thirds of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. About half of this population lives with hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, and cancer.
Consumers are confused about how to be healthy. At the same time, they think the internet can help them learn how to be healthier.
Who will educate consumers on a one-to-one basis? Food and fitness experts need to fill this void.
I pulled a few statistics that stood out to me. I definitely recommend checking out the original research findings when you have time.
According to the 2012 American Food and Health Survey:
76% feel that changes in nutritional guidance make it hard to know what to believe.
15% accurately estimates the number of calories needed to maintain current weight.
57% believe that online and mobile fitness tools can help them live healthier lifestyles.
55% report that they are trying to lose weight, while 22 percent indicate they are trying to maintain their weight.
Similar to past years, taste and price continue to drive food and beverage choices (87% and 73% respectively) more than healthfulness (61%), convenience (53%) or sustainability (35%).
Two-thirds of parents worry more about the healthfulness of their children’s diets than their own.
According to the 2012 Pew report, Tracking for Health:
60% of adults track their weight, diet, or exercise routine. About 12% track the same indicators for someone they know.
However, with a relatively high number as 60%:
49% keep track of progress “in their heads.”
34% track the data in a notebook or journal.
21% say they use some form of technology to track their health data, such as a spreadsheet, website, app, or device.
These numbers tell us that people are becoming more health conscious, however most of them have not fully committed to using technology. What do you think holds these people back from using the internet and digital tools to track? What can you produce that will help them make the transition?
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