Almost two-thirds of Canadian adults regularly monitor one or more aspects of their health, and a proliferation of digital devices has led to the emergence of a quantified self movement, which is extremely popular among millennials. A research partnership involving HEC Montréal’s Research Chair in Digital Health sheds a lot of light on this phenomenon which could contribute to improving the health of chronically ill patients.
New and wearable consumer devices, such as physical activity tracking devices, tooth brushes, or smart clothes offer us the promise of healthier living. At the same time emerges a self-quantifying phenomenon, in which these digital objects are used for improving one’s self-knowledge by collecting and analyzing data on personal health and well-being. To the point that many experts believe that the momentum gained by these tools will be the next digital health revolution.
However, research around this movement has provided only a limited insight into the matter. Therefore, researchers achieved a first, by conducting a survey among more than 4,000 adult Canadians, in order to understand this emerging phenomenon.
“Researchers must continue studying these issues in order to gain a deeper understanding of how digital health technologies can be used, not only for medicine in general, but also for preventing and managing chronic illnesses.”
This project was conducted by Professor Guy Paré in collaboration with CEFRIO and funded by Canada Health Infoway.
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