Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers

According to research firm Parks Associates, the majority of those surveyed indicated that they are not willing to share data collected from wearable devices, even if it meant receiving a discount on their health insurance premiums. In spite of this reluctance, these same consumers were willing to share data for the purpose of troubleshooting the devices themselves.

The results of the survey varied significantly by device. Forty-two percent of digital pedometer owners were willing to share data in order to receive a health insurance discount; for smartwatch owners the total was 35 percent; and for sleep-quality monitor owners it was 26 percent. Nevertheless, a solid majority of device owners was not willing to share data.

Consumers are justified in their concerns about health data privacy. The Los Angeles Times told in July of a security breach in October 2014 where hackers compromised UCLA Health Systems’ computer network, putting 4.5 million patients’ sensitive data at risk. What was troubling about the incident was that it took nearly seven months from the time suspicious activity was discovered in October, to May 5, which is when investigators determined the system was hacked. Additionally troubling was that the data was not even encrypted.

From the article "Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers" by Christopher Mohr.

Previously In The News

Siemens Convergence Creators: OTT services for the young generation

Parents strive to keep up with and stay on top of their offspring’s viewing habits which are again transforming as the young generation is rapidly developing into the most important target group for O...

CES: 50% of flat-panel shoppers seeking 4K capability

Parks Associates announced new European research today at CES 2016 showing that over 50% of households in the UK, France, Germany and Spain planning to buy a flat-panel TV in the next 12 months consid...

Netflix Has Lowest OTT US Subscriber Churn Rates

Several factors contribute to OTT video service churn by consumers, according to Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates. “In some instances, consumers are experimenting with...

In -Home Health Monitoring Market Faces Near -Term Uphill Struggle

According to Parks Associates, in -home health monitoring is a service that allows patients to use network -connected measurement devices, such as glucose meters, weight scales, and peak flow meters,...