Boomers Demand Health Apps

Aging, gadget-loving baby boomers will likely expand the mobile health IT market to $4.6 billion by 2014 and to $12 billion by 2020, market analysts predict.

In particular, boomers are interested in tech-enabled health and wellness products for personal use, reports the Enterprise Forum of the Northwest, in a paper to be released Wednesday at the MIT Enterprise Forum meeting, in Seattle. Those products include personal emergency response services, telemedicine, mobile medical equipment, mobile health information, remote tracking, and health and fitness software.

Nearly 56 percent of boomers report a "high willingness" to use in-home health-monitoring devices, according to the report, "Boomers, Technology & Health: Consumers Taking Charge!" Boomers see tech-enabled health products "as a way to foster control and ongoing independence for themselves, especially in light of the rise in incidence in chronic disease with aging, and their desire to reduce costs." An estimated total of 200 million health-related applications already are in use globally.

The catch? Tech companies hoping to capitalize on that market potential must understand how boomers think, the authors warn.

"While ease of learning and use is critical, boomers are also looking for products that offer real value and enhancement to their lives and also help manage varied lifestyles," the report says. "Present them with products that are poorly or over-configured with features, and you'll have reluctant takers. Suggest a product that looks as if it's been created for an older neophyte user, and you'll have no takers."

Mobile phones may present the best opportunity, since boomers already represent one-third of all smart-phone users -- and the market is rapidly growing. PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute estimates a market for mobile health calls ranging from $7.7 billion to $43 billion, according to the report.