Wearable devices aiming to help people improve their health behaviors may not be driving change, according to an op-ed published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
The authors present the following reasons why wearables alone can't be effective in changing behaviors.
1. People who need to change their health behaviors most do not use wearables. Almost half of wearable device users — 48 percent — are younger than 35 years old and 29 percent make more than $100,000 a year, according to Nielson data in the report.
2. Wearables require users to adopt new behaviors, such as wearing and charging them, before they even attempt to change health behaviors. This may be a lot for people who already have issues adopting new behaviors. Wearables should be streamlined or possibly incorporated into devices people already carry, like smartphones, the authors write.
3. Wearables do not always track accurately. However, wearables may be more effective in changing behaviors when they are used as part of a feedback loop in conjunction with home devices, like those that measure blood pressure or track medications. They could alert patients when certain behaviors are necessary, to take a pill when they are located near the medication bottle for example.
4. Wearables do not present information in a way that is understandable and motivating to all patients. Especially for those with chronic illness, it may be difficult to sustain change compared to those who are already healthy and motivated. Workplace wellness programs may be a good place to motivate more people, according to the authors. They recommend using team-based strategies rather than competitions and leaderboards.
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