Wearable fitness tracker use in federally qualified health center patients: strategies to improve the health of all of us using digital health devices

Michelle Holko; Tamara R Litwin; Fatima Munoz; Katrina I Theisz; Linda Salgin; Nancy Piper Jenks; Beverly W Holmes; Pamelia Watson-McGee; Eboni Winford; Yashoda Sharma

doi:10.1038/s41746-022-00593-x

Wearable fitness tracker use in federally qualified health center patients: strategies to improve the health of all of us using digital health devices

NPJ Digit Med. 2022 Apr 25;5(1):53. doi: 10.1038/s41746-022-00593-x.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. michelle.holko@gmail.com.
² All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. tamara.litwin@nih.gov.
³ San Ysidro Health, San Ysidro, CA, USA.
⁴ All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁵ Sun River Health, Peekskill, NY, USA.
⁶ Cooperative Health, Columbia, SC, USA.
⁷ Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
⁸ Cherokee Health Systems, Knoxville, TN, USA.
⁹ Weitzman Institute, Community Health Center, Inc., Middletown, CT, USA. yashoda@dimesociety.org.

Abstract

As the use of connected devices rises, an understanding of how digital health technologies can be used for equitable healthcare across diverse communities is needed. We surveyed 1007 adult patients at six Federally Qualified Health Centers regarding wearable fitness trackers. Findings indicate the majority interest in having fitness trackers. Barriers included cost and lack of information, revealing that broad digital health device adoption requires education, investment, and high-touch methods.