Although most patients want to use health and fitness wearable devices, cost, education and language remain as barriers, according to a study published April 15 in Nature.
The research came out of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Program and surveyed more than 1,000 adult patients across six healthcare centers.
They found that there was a strong desire for wearables, with 58 percent responding they would like a fitness tracker. Monitoring heart rate, counting steps and tracking fitness levels were all cited as reasons patients would wish to get a wearable device. Almost 80 percent of patients though did not have a fitness tracker.
The expense of devices as well as awareness of the devices were cited as some of the biggest barriers to entry. Language also presented itself as a challenge, with some non-English speakers being worried about the word 'tracker' and its connotations of surveillance. Most participants had a smartphone and knew how to download apps but needed more education and guidance when it came to using wearables.