[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ccording to the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s “Mobile Health 2012” report, fully 85% of U.S. adults own a cellphone. Of those, 53% own smartphones.

Pew reports that [highlight]one in three cellphone owners (31%) have used their phone to look for health information[/highlight]. In a comparable, national survey conducted two years ago, 17% of cellphone owners had used their phones to look for health advice.

Smartphone owners lead this activity: 52% gather health information on their phones, compared with 6% of non-smartphone owners. Cellphone owners who are Latino, African American, between the ages of 18-49, or hold a college degree are also more likely to gather health information this way.

A whopping 80% of cell phone owners say they send and receive text messages, but just 9% of cell phone owners say they receive any text updates or alerts about health or medical issues. Women, those between the ages of 30 and 64, and smartphone owners are more likely than other cell phone owners to have signed up for health text alerts.

Smartphones enable the use of mobile software applications to help people track or manage their health. Some 19% of smartphone owners have at least one health app on their phone. Exercise, diet and weight apps are the most popular types.

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, “Mobile Health 2012”

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