Do young people use technology for health care? And if they use them, what are they looking for? These are the questions that researchers from the Pfizer Foundation and the FAD Youth Foundation have asked and the answers are clear: yes, they know them and use them (almost 80%), especially to count steps, monitor exercise what they do, monitor the menstrual cycle and, in addition, record the diet. The topics most searched for on the internet and social networks are those related to “physical activity” (40.3%), “mental health” (35%) and “food and diets” (34.3%).
Young people are concerned about physical health and well-being and less about illness, a logical thing between the ages of 15 and 29. But this does not prevent them from using technology for “symptom research if they are not well to know what is going on” (69.9%) and “searching for information about some health problem of someone in the environment” ( 67.1%).
Do they rely on these applications and consultation websites? Relatively speaking, since they trust more (7 out of 10) in health-related information provided by health professionals, more than what is generally offered on the internet and social networks. And in the latter, they value better what websites endorsed by institutions and scientific societies give (6.2). 65% follow accounts related to health and wellness and nearly 52% follow accounts or profiles of healthcare professionals or specialists.
This is indicated by the study Technological innovation applied to health care. The perspective of teenagers and young people, with the results obtained in a survey of 1,504 young people between the ages of 15 and 29, between May and June this year, and interviews and workshops with experts in technology and health, in which reveals that the widespread use of technology for this purpose corresponds to the importance they give to health in their lives. Having good health is what they value most at this stage of life (60.2%), above earning money (46.3%) or having good family relationships (35.31%). Women attach more importance to it and, by age group, young people in the 25-29 age group.
But young people want more. Of the innovations or improvements proposed in health, in the first place, they consider that “the improvement of mobile integration in the health system” would be an important advance, with 39.6% of the responses. In the same vein, 37.7% consider that it would be an important advance to “guarantee quality online and telematic health care”.
They do use technology to make arrangements. The most abundant activity is “requesting appointments online”, with 72.5% implementation; 57.2% access “personal health files online”, and 48.7% make use of “telematic consultations”, whether through video calls, chats or phone consultations.
Young people are not looking for a replacement of the healthcare system with digital technologies, but they want the best of both worlds.
According to the president of the FAD Youth Foundation, Ignacio Bayón, “the importance given to health by young people, together with the generational stamp of technology in their lives, tells us about opportunities for the prevention of health problems and to the promotion of healthy lifestyles in young people. We know that they care about taking care of themselves and that technology helps them take care of it.”
