BabyCenter Finds Mom Ready to Live the "Measured Life" in its U.S. Mobile Mom 2014 Report: Health & Fitness Go Mobile for Moms

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Moms are ready to live the "measured life" using fitness and health trackers for themselves and their kids, according to the results of the BabyCenter® U.S. Mobile Mom 2014 Report: Health & Fitness Go Mobile for Moms, the latest installment in BabyCenter's 21^st Century Mom® Insights Series. BabyCenter, the number 1 pregnancy and parenting web and mobile destination worldwide, conducted the study, which found that 55 percent of moms surveyed say they can't think of a reason not to track their health or their children's health – however, the majority of moms find the current options on their smartphones too time consuming and therefore too difficult to use.

BabyCenter's findings indicate that moms have a growing appetite for health and fitness tracking that is not yet served by the mobile apps that are currently available to them. When asked, "Which of the following do you currently track and which would you track on your smartphone if there was an easy way to transfer the information to your phone," the survey found a significant gap in every category:

BabyCenter also found that moms are willing to invest in new devices that give insight into their health and that of their children. Of the moms surveyed, 19 percent already had a fitness tracker, up 36 percent from 2013, and a whopping 80 percent indicated interest in a device. Moms also expressed interest in a number of new health/safety products and wearable technology.

The percent somewhat or very interested:

• Wearable baby monitor that tracks your baby's movements and warns you if something is wrong: 70 percent
• Activity tracker for their child: 67 percent
• Fitness tracker integrated into clothing: 64 percent
• Google Glass: 46 percent

Beyond fitness and health tracking, moms also demonstrated their reliance on their smartphones when shopping for over-the-counter medications. The results show the importance of the mobile web even for physical retail purchases. Among moms who used their phone when shopping for over-the-counter medicines (14 percent), two out of three (63 percent) responded that they had researched an over-the-counter medicine on their phone, and 52 percent said they had read product reviews and recommendations. Nearly a third (29 percent) purchased over-the-counter medicinal products online, and 37 percent used their device to find a local drugstore or similar retail outlet. Price comparison app use appears to be less popular when shopping for over-the-counter medicines, with 25 percent reporting they had used them to buy these products, with online mobile coupons higher at 30 percent.

"There is more pressure on moms than ever before to make the right choices for their health and that of their children, so their interest and use of their smartphones for this purpose is not surprising," said Julie Michaelson, Vice President of Sales, BabyCenter. "Mom is 'mobile first,' and she expects that the health products and services that she uses show a similar approach, whether an over-the-counter medication or fitness support."

"Moms want more information about their health and that of their kids, but are finding their current options for mobile devices too frustrating to use," Michaelson continued. "This is a tremendous window of opportunity for mobile app and device companies to create options that integrate more easily into Mom's daily life, and to better communicate their availability to moms via mobile."

To review further findings from the BabyCenter U.S. Mobile Mom 2014 Report: Health & Fitness Go Mobile for Moms, please visit: http://www.babycentersolutions.com/docs/BabyCenter_2014_US_Health_and_Fitness_Go_Mobile_For_Moms.pdf

Methodology:
Fielded in July 2014, the U.S. Mobile Mom 2014 Report polled 1,118 U.S. women ages 18 to 49, with a mean age of 32. All participants were either pregnant or mothers of children up to 18 years old. After answering a question on smartphone ownership to determine the percentage who owned a smartphone, only smartphone owners were allowed to complete the rest of the survey.

About BabyCenter® LLC
BabyCenter® is the voice of the 21st Century Mom® and modern motherhood. It's the number 1 pregnancy and parenting digital destination worldwide, reaching more than 40 million moms monthly in 11 languages across 14 owned and operated properties from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world's partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that's remarkably right at every stage of their child's development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world's most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter established a Global Giving Program and partners with esteemed organizations to help make motherhood safer for all women. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

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SOURCE BabyCenter LLC

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