Consumers to improve wellness through wearables

Even though pollution is increasing, 29 per cent of surveyed Indians are satisfied with their wellness, compared to just 1 per cent of Japanese and South Korean consumers, says a survey.

According to a study by Ericsson Consumer Labs, technology needs to closely relate to wellness. The report examines how satisfied consumers are with their overall wellness, and how it relates to their use of the Internet for health and fitness purposes. The report draws data from several recent consumer surveys covering up to 49 countries.

It claims that half the people surveyed were satisfied with their wellness and about 71 per cent see an opportunity to improve their wellness using technology. In India, 92 per cent of respondents in Delhi said they would like gadgets that check the quality of water. About 87 per cent said they would like a city microclimate monitor, a slightly higher number would be interested in a wearable clean air bracelet and 81 per cent said they would not mind using a wearable ecometer. “Consumers in cities facing bigger environmental challenges show higher interest in society-related health concepts, such as a bracelet that checks for smog, or a wearable that helps with eco-friendly commuting,” said Michael Björn, head of research at Ericsson Consumer Labs.

The survey said 66 per cent respondents found smartphones that check the water quality of public facilities would be useful. Another 62 per cent would like a city microclimate monitor on their smartphones that locate cool areas on hot days and less polluted areas in times of smog. Wearing a bracelet to continuously monitor air quality and pollution levels appealed to 60 per cent of those asked.

As 71 per cent of consumers are equally interested ·in quantifying by themselves, people see a range of cloud-based services giving them the potential to live healthier and longer lives, whether the technology can be worn or not.

The report also shows that hopes for increased life expectancy go beyond personal devices and services, making individual wellness a social concern.

Traditional jogging apps and other technologies monitoring physical activity are still sought after, with consumers believing these will increase their life expectancy by 1.9 years.

Consequently, monitoring methods go beyond smartphones and wearables. Cups and plates that measure the intake of calories, salt and unhealthy ingredients are believed to increase life expectancy by 1.8 years and those that identify food allergies could give an extra 1.3 years on average. Pillows and sheets that monitor sleep patterns and medicine bottles that regulate medicine intake would potentially add 1.1 years each.