Health Promotion and Digital Tools: Analysis of Consumer Demands.

Background: A survey was conducted to determine the demand for the use of digital health content for health promotion, both among those interested in using digital tools and those interested in health promotion.

Methods: This study targeted smartphone owners who attended a class on how to use a smartphone (CS) and/or a class on advancements in health (CH) held in Nanbu Town. The main questionnaire items included questions on age, gender, frailty, subjective cognitive decline (SCD), smartphone usage, and interest in health promotion using digital technology. An analysis was conducted on 33 participants in the CS and 33 participants from the CH who provided complete responses to the questionnaire.

Results: The percentages of interest in using smartphones for accessing content on exercise, cognitive training, and nutrition management were 97.0%, 97.0%, and 87.9%, respectively, among CS participants and 69.7%, 78.8%, and 81.8%, respectively, among CH participants. The percentage of responses regarding interest in exercise content was significantly different between the two groups. Furthermore, some individuals responded that they were interested but concerned about how to use the services. No statistically significant differences were found with respect to the comparison of the percentages of responses by age group, frailty determination results, and SCD determination results among the participants of the CS and CR groups.

Conclusion: Regardless of age or the risk of developing health problems, there is demand for content related to health promotion using digital tools for those who want to master digital tools and who want to improve their health. However, support should be provided to them to ensure that they correctly use those tools. Notably, some individuals who want to improve their health are not interested in using digital tools.