Facebook IQ, Facebook’s research wing, which uses Facebook Insights along with work from researchers, with the goal of helping marketers better understand people and their habits, has the results of a new study out looking at health in the digital age.

Findings include data on how people are leveraging health-related technology, such as fitness trackers, and their views on how tech can help improve their health in general.

Facebook IQ worked with Crowd DNA, surveying people in the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and South Korea. They looked at Facebook data to analyze how people are talking about their wellbeing.

A Facebook spokesperson shared the key findings from the research in an email to WebProNews. These are as follows:

• Tech helps inspire youthful feelings, especially among Boomers; people are feeling “old” a lot later in life thanks to products & services that help their mind and body stay healthy longer:
  • 71% of Boomers
  • 67% of parents
  • 66% of Gen Xers
  • 62% of Millennials
• Using health-related tech helps people feel empowered:
  • 57% say it helps them keep track of their goals
  • 55% say it gives them a sense of control over their life and health
  • 52% say it tells them more about themselves
  • 40% say they like to try new gadgets
  • 37% say it makes them a better person
• What does the future hold? Interest in leveraging tech for personal sustainability and future well-being will continue to grow:
  • 44% are interested in swallowing a pill-sized digestible sensor that can monitor and transmit health information to a mobile phone or computer
  • 53% are interested in wearing a device that can track their brain activity to make recommendations for improving their emotions and behavior
  • 63% are interested in finding out more about what their genetic makeup/DNA can tell them about how to live a healthy life
  • 67% say that everyone five years from now will continuously track their health and fitness using technology
  • In the future, health-related device adoption could grow by…
    • 3.5X for devices that monitor heart rate
    • 1.8X for devices that track steps
    • 2.7X for devices that track sporting activities
    • 5.5X for devices that monitor sleep
    • 5.2X for devices that track diets
    • 6.4X for devices that track medications/health supplements

Facebook has a blog post about its findings available here. This includes a short video on the subject.

Key takeaways for marketers (via the post) are to create memorable experiences, consider how your brand can contribute to the phenomenon of people feeling younger for longer, and keeping a pulse on consumer behavior while following people’s expectations when it comes to using technology.

Image via Facebook