More than 80 per cent of consumers in Ireland have integrated mobile apps or wearable devices into their health and wellbeing practices, a new survey has found, as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into people’s fitness goals becomes more common.
Consumers “use apps or wearables for at least one health and wellness activity a few times a year”, such as monitoring exercise, tracking sleep and managing medication intake, according to the PwC Ireland 2026 Voice of the Consumer survey.
It also found 58 per cent of respondents were “willing to pay more for a wearable device whose data is trusted by healthcare professionals and can be reviewed by them to support their health and wellbeing care”.
Alongside more traditional technology, the use of AI has become largely integrated into the health practices of many consumers, the survey found.
About 9 per cent of respondents listed AI as the “top influencer” of their health and wellbeing precautions, while 64 per cent said they “typically use an AI tool before consulting a healthcare professional”, family members or websites, the survey found.
Close to two thirds of those surveyed said they prioritise the opinion of health professionals when considering taking action to improve their health and wellbeing and 52 per cent said they also take advice from friends, family and co-workers.
Most consumers – 68 per cent – said they were comfortable availing of AI for advice on “nutritional needs, creating personalised fitness plans and predicting potential issues”, PwC said.
Support for this practice “was higher from younger generations, with 77 per cent of 18 to 44-year-olds comfortable allowing AI to perform health and wellness tasks, compared to 53 per cent for 45 to over 65-year-olds”, the Big Four consultancy firm added.
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Ruth McNamee, a partner in the firm’s retail and consumer practice team, said “people are managing their health and wellness more often, in more places, with more tools and higher expectations and they are using AI”.
“What we’re seeing, as a result, is that healthcare is becoming more continuous and consumer-led,” she said, adding that “many are open to AI playing a role to help them to achieve their goals”.
The survey also tracked consumer behaviour in broader healthcare trends. It found “just 6 per cent of Irish consumers are taking GLP-1 prescription medication for type two diabetes and/or weight loss”. These prescriptions include the Ozempic and Mounjaro drugs.
However, “a further 21 per cent said that they would be open to using this type of medication in the future”, the survey said.
Just over one in four respondents rated their current health as “excellent” with regard to their physical fitness, while over one in three said their mental health is “poor or average” with “some concerns”.