Harnessing Mobile Health Technology for Secondary Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Older Adults

Published: April 01, 2021

An active African American senior woman checks activity level and health status on her smart watch. Heart rate, water consumption, steps taken, activity level and the current time are overlaid in a digitally generated image.
  • Mobile health (mHealth) is defined as ‘the use of mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives’ and includes voice and short messaging service (SMS; i.e., text messaging), global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth technologies, and wearable garments or accessories that provide physiologic monitoring.
  • This scientific statement describes studies that have used mHealth technology for secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in older adults (>60 years old) and reviews the benefits and challenges of mHealth applications in this population.
  • Effective, widely accepted, and time-efficient mHealth interventions to improve CVD health in adults aged 60 years and older should be a top health priority.