Abstract 17106: Comparing Pre- and Post- Pandemic Personal Health Monitoring Using Wearable Devices in United States Adults With or at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationally Representative Study

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic represented a major global health crisis that potentially refocused public attention on personal health monitoring. We evaluated changes in personal health monitoring using wearable devices, before and after the pandemic. Methods: To evaluate the changes in self-reported use of wearables pre- and post-pandemic, we used the nationally representative Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) study for Jan 2019 through Feb 2020 (pre-pandemic) and 2022 (post-pandemic). We assessed use in individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CV risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity), accounting for the complex survey design. We also examined the interaction of sociodemographic features with the pandemic, for wearable use, using survey logistic regression. Results: Of the 15,555 individuals in HINTS, 10,262 (60 ± 16 years, 57% women) had CVD or risk factors. There was a 28% increase in wearable use in the overall population and 27% in adults with CVD or risk factors. An estimated 48.7 (43.9-53.4) million adults with CVD or risk factors (31% [29-34] of all adults with CVD or risk factors) reported using wearable devices post-pandemic, compared with 38.1 (34.7-41.5) million (25% [23-27]) pre-pandemic. In adults with CVD or risk factors, wearable use increased among all sociodemographic subgroups. (Fig) The pandemic was independently associated with increased use of wearables (OR 1.42 [1.24-1.63]). However, there was no significant interaction between the pandemic and sociodemographic subgroups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: The use of wearable devices increased across sociodemographic subgroups in adults with or at risk for CVD. However, the uptake was not disproportionately greater in subgroups with known worse health outcomes. Despite the increased awareness for health monitoring during the pandemic, inequities in use of wearable health technology continue to threaten disparities in patient outcomes.