Fitness trackers used as motivational tools
In Australia more women track their fitness than men, but we're below global averages.
New research reveals one in three people around the world track their health or fitness via an online or mobile app, fitness band, clip or smartwatch, but Australians aren't as fanatical about their fitness as those in other countries.
A recent international survey, conducted online by GfK market research, polled individuals from 16 countries and found China to have the most people monitoring their health and fitness.
China (45%) was well above the global average (33%), with significantly more people using trackers to monitor activity than those in Brazil and the USA (29%), Germany (28%), France (26%) and Spain (24%).
Fitness tracking in Australia (19%) was below the world average but on par with our English-speaking counterparts in Canada (19%) and the United Kingdom (19%).
In Australia more women (20%) tracked their fitness using an app or device than men (18%), however, this was not the case for more than two-thirds of the countries surveyed.
Of those who did track their fitness, individuals aged 30-39 were the most keen (41%) globally.
While the majority of those surveyed (55%) who track their health and fitness said they did it to maintain or improve physical condition, half (50%) used trackers as a way to motivate themselves to exercise and more than a third (34%) used these devices to motivate themselves to eat and drink healthily.
Survey respondents also used fitness trackers to lose weight (29%), improve sleep (29%) and monitor or track a specific health condition (17%).
Heart disease and diabetes, along with lung cancer and dementia, are responsible for the most deaths in Australia. And while more Australians are quitting smoking, our diets are worse than ever.
For the most comprehensive comparisons of fitness tracking devices, check out our reviews of the Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Charge 2, Samsung Gear Fit 2, Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Sport and Polar M600.
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