Wearables for Health Promotion: An Interdisciplinary Review

This review synthesizes the findings from 250 research papers that study the application of wearable technology for health purposes. We surfaced 18 distinct cross-disciplinary themes reflecting the current status of literature on health wearables. Using the input-mechanism-output framework, we organized these themes in an array that can help identify the gaps in research. Studies that covered input factors have largely been techno-centric, exploring the design of various health wearables. While studies on user acceptance and engagement are increasing, there remains room for growth in these user-centric aspects. Relatively few studies explored theoretically-backed explanations of the role of health wearables. These mainly focused on mechanisms of adoption, while post-adoption use and health behavior change were less explored. Output factors were studied in both individuals and organizational settings, with the former receiving more attention than the latter. We discuss the progress of research on health wearables from an interdisciplinary angle and highlight the role of social scientists for the advancement of research on wearable health.