From Rehabilitation to Prevention: Theoretical Perspectives on the Use of Mobile and Wearable Technologies in Health Monitoring and Lifestyle Change

Abstract

Health should be achieved beyond the hospital setting. Thanks to modern technologies—mobile and wearable devices—significant opportunities have emerged for the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases. Mobile devices can monitor physiological signals in real time, such as physical activity and heart rate, to promote healthy behaviors, enable early detection, and support continuous care. Wearable technology is an interdisciplinary and continuously developing field that has advanced significantly over the last two decades owing to progress in sensor technology and connectivity. In this review, the authors use a bibliometric analysis to highlight recent advances and challenges related to the use of mobile devices to assess and pro-mote physical activity and fitness and to monitor heart rate. The database used for extracting articles was Web of Science (WoS). The keywords used were "portable devices", "cardiac parameters", "physical activity", "wearable device", and "wearable devices". Boolean operators "AND" and "OR" were used to combine terms. The evolution in publication volume reflects growing dynamism in the field and anticipates a period of expansion and innovation in research and the application of wearable devices for monitoring risk factors. A total of 12,348 articles and 1,797 reviews were identified. The top three countries in terms of productivity are China, the United States, and Italy. Institutions in China contributed more than 70% of the publications; consequently, the Asia region— especially China and India—represents the main center of scientific research and publication, while contributions from France and the United States, although significant, are relatively smaller in the international context. Although advances in mHealth are promising, important challenges must be addressed to maximize benefits. Data accuracy is crucial because clinical decisions rely on precise information. In addition, personal data privacy and security must be guaranteed to prevent breaches and to ensure patient trust in these technologies.