A new Tasmanian-led study is using wearable technology to understand the motivations and barriers that influence Tasmanians to adopt healthier habits.
The WATCH Study, launched by St Lukes in partnership with the University of Tasmania and HealthCare Software, will provide eligible members with free Garmin smartwatches and track how the devices influence behaviour over a 12-week period.
St Lukes Chief Operations Officer, Darren Harris said the goal is for participants to track their daily movement, understand their activity levels and stay motivated to build healthier habits.
“A big focus for St Lukes is prevention, not just treatment, so this study is all about understanding what motivates Tasmanians to get moving and what support sustains our long-term wellbeing,” Mr Harris said.
“Partnering with the University of Tasmania allows us to invest directly in member wellbeing and evidence‑based innovation, ensuring the programs we support are grounded in research and deliver real value for members.
“What we learn will help shape future digital health initiatives that support healthier lifestyles across our membership and the broader community, as we continue our work to make Tasmania the healthiest island on the planet.”
The study will test whether wearable activity tracking and a smartphone app can help Tasmanians build and maintain healthier movement habits, with walking as the primary focus.
Dr Bikram Ghosh from the Human-Activity Behaviour Intervention and Transformation (HABIT) Lab at the University of Tasmania said the study was about the gap between knowing what you should do and actually doing it.
“This study grew from a Tasmanian conversation about a Tasmanian problem,” Dr Ghosh said.
“All three partners are locally based, and the collaboration emerged from shared concern about community health outcomes here, rather than being a research agenda designed elsewhere and applied to Tasmania as a convenient test population.
That has absolutely shaped the questions we ask and what we intend to do with the answers.”
More than 300 St Lukes members registered their interest in the study within 48 hours of the launch, with 172 participants now actively involved.
Mr Harris said the WATCH Study showed Tasmanians were keen to take control of their own health through targeted initiatives focused on preventative health.
“The response we’ve had from our members with this study, as well as other initiatives, reinforces Tasmanians want to be connected to the support and services that make healthy habits easier,” he said.
The study is supported by HealthCare Software – the Tasmanian digital health specialist behind St Lukes’ Snug app – a free, secure health management tool designed to store medical history, track health stats, and connect fitness data. All study participant data is anonymised.
Learn more at www.stlukes.com.au/watch-study.
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For further information: Jacquie Ray | Timmins Ray Public Relations | 0429 683 779.