Can a health-care app make a difference between those who thrive and those who are barely alive? A Gallup/Healthways survey suggests apps have the power to do exactly that.
The two organizations have concocted the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being 5, which they describe as "a comprehensive, definitive source of well-being measurement." In their search to see what moves the dial on their well-being scale, they tested the use of mobile apps. First, they crunched the numbers on how many folks have downloaded a healthy living app:
- 65 percent of American adults have a smartphone;
- 34 percent have downloaded at least one healthy living app;
- 19 percent of all adults have downloaded and routinely use at least one such app;
- 23 percent of full-time workers have downloaded and use at least one such app.
The most commonly used healthy living apps, the survey revealed, were apps for calorie counting, healthy recipes and food/exercise diaries.
Gallup/Healthways then tested their well-being index. They looked at five areas defined as critical to an all-around healthy life: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. Definitions of the five areas are available.
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Their findings on well-being include the following:
- 28 percent of American adults are not thriving in any of the five elements—these are designated as suffering;
- 7 percent are thriving in all five;
- The rest (65 percent) are designated as "struggling" because they have some of the five but not enough to be thriving.
Then comes the kicker. Gallup/Healthways compared healthy living app users to nonusers. Here's their report:
"Those who download and routinely use health-related apps do better in well-being. After controlling for all demographics and for previously existing chronic conditions, these regular users are thriving in at least three of the elements 33 percent of the time, compared with 27 percent among all others.
"When we look closely at app use and well-being at the individual element level, however, the strength of the relationship varies. We find little difference in financial well-being between those who routinely use health apps and all others. But when it comes to physical and social well-being, routine users of health apps are more than 20 percent more likely to be thriving than those who don't routinely use such apps."
The well-being partners are careful not to put too much weight on the connection between healthy living apps and higher feelings of well-being. For instance, someone with a negative outlook on life in general is not going to turn into a starry-eyed optimist by downloading healthy living apps. Further, not all apps are created equal.
"Some types of apps are more closely related to high well-being outcomes than others," Gallup/Healthways says. "While use of running map apps and apps for healthy restaurant menu options are mutually highly linked to both social and physical well-being, other apps are more uniquely aligned. Apps for water intake and healthy recipes are strongly linked to social well-being benefits, while running maps and personal training apps are strongly associated with physical well-being."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
