Healthcare Prioritizes Time Efficiency Too!? Current State of "Health Tech Utilization" as Seen Through Health Awareness

Intent to Use Health Tech Products and Services Also Growing

Next, let's examine the year-over-year comparison results between 2020 and 2023 for usage status and intentions, based on responses to specific existing products and services presented.

The survey covered 22 specific products and services. Below are the results for the "usage intent" (sum of "currently using and want to continue using" and "never used but want to use") for four representative products/services.

For example, wristwatch-type devices saw a steady increase from 23.9% (2020) to 34.0% (2023), and test kits that analyze urine or stool samples to assess nutritional status and gut health rose from 22.3% (2020) to 34.2% (2023). While not a sharp increase, these figures show consistent growth, with one in three people expressing an intention to use them. Stress and sleep, areas where visualizing one's state has been difficult until now, also show high usage intent.

While these trends suggest growing acceptance of health tech services and products among consumers, numerous challenges remain. For instance, among reasons cited for continuing to use certain popular healthcare services, "to accumulate points" and "just because" ranked highly, indicating many users pursue purposes beyond specific health maintenance or improvement.

Personally, I don't think it's inherently bad that consumers perceive the purpose as "economic benefit." If it ultimately contributes to their health (e.g., walking to earn points), that's fine. However, if points or coupons are the only motivation, there's a risk of drop-off due to unavoidable reasons like "getting bored," "finding it troublesome," or "no longer needing it." This leads to the challenge that healthy behaviors don't become ingrained habits.

Health tech services in medical domains like healthcare, nursing, and health impairments often offer clear benefits like "pain relief" or "easier access to previously difficult activities." This makes it less likely users will quit "just because they got bored" after trying it out casually. In contrast, health promotion, conditioning, and prevention areas have an inherent ambiguity where the physical effects = benefits are harder to feel in the short term.

This is precisely why it's crucial not to overlook users' genuine motivations—beyond just "understanding their body data and managing health efficiently and appropriately." We must persistently explore why people use these services and why they continue using them.

Is the "Time-Efficiency Generation" in Health in Their 40s!? What's the Correlation with Health Tech Adoption?

The time-efficiency mindset popularized by Gen Z may also positively influence health tech adoption. 47.2% of respondents stated, "If I do something for my health, I prioritize efficiency." Notably, this is especially prevalent among women in their 40s (56.6%), likely reflecting the generation's characteristic busyness and lack of free time in both personal and professional life.

Women in their 40s often feel personally responsible not only for their own health but also for managing their family's health. Many likely live with a sense of urgency, knowing that if even one family member falls ill, their entire daily rhythm could collapse. For example, individuals in such situations, seeking to navigate their busy days smoothly, may desire personalized services (methods tailored "just" for them) as a way to "achieve maximum health benefits without wasting time." Their inclination to utilize health tech for this purpose could become an unshakable motivation for product and service adoption.

Approaching this through health tech could break existing concepts like "the latest tech appeals more to young people" or "health topics resonate better with seniors," opening up possibilities for business in health promotion, conditioning, and prevention.

On the other hand, no matter how innovative the health tech, I feel careful consideration is still needed for the motivation design behind using the service or product. It seems necessary to broaden the perspective beyond the characteristics of the healthcare market, encompassing broader shifts in consumer awareness and real-life daily routines, when conceptualizing business and brand strategies.

*Percentage composition figures are rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not add up exactly.