Whether it's ABC Listen's "Health Report" or Mamamia's "But Are You Happy," podcasts have fast become a part of our everyday media consumption. In fact, the average person spends more than five hours a week listening to them. But could listening to podcasts lead to healthier habits? In the first study of its kind, University of South Australia researchers have explored just this, finding that podcasts can significantly improve health knowledge, increase exercise levels, and boost healthy eating .
Reviewing results from 38 studies, researchers found that people's engagement with health-related podcasts was generally high, suggesting that podcasts could be an effective medium for health information and behavior-change interventions. Nielsen data shows that podcast popularity has increased by 16% since last year, cementing this on-demand medium in the everyday lives of 9.6 million Australians.
UniSA researcher Beth Robins says the findings highlight the potential of podcasts promoting positive health behaviors. "Health and well-being podcasts have the unique ability to convey a wide range of health topics to a variety of listeners, but in a very accessible way," Robins says. "Not only are podcasts typically chatty and conversational—which makes them easy to listen to and understand—but they're also available at the touch of a button, so they're extremely convenient, portable, and can be listened to at any time of the day.
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