Top Things to Know: Role of Technology in Promoting Heart Healthy Behavior Change to Increase Equity in Optimal Cardiovascular Health
Published: April 07, 2025
Prepared by Maura M. Kepper, PhD, MPH, The School of Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis
- Technology is improving physical activity, healthful dietary intake, sleep, and smoking cessation among populations most affected by cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities by providing strategies for self-monitoring, goal setting, and engagement through wearable devices, apps, and telehealth interventions.
- While technology has the potential to facilitate behavior change and increase equitable CVH, developing and implementing rigorous interventions that address digital and health literacy, language barriers, cultural relevance, and privacy concerns is a complex undertaking.
- To effectively reach and benefit populations most affected by disparities, it’s crucial to consider social and digital determinants at individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels throughout technology development, implementation, and policy-making processes.
- Engaging communities in the design process and culturally tailoring technology interventions is necessary to make the tools acceptable, appropriate, and user-friendly, which are critical precursors to achieving the intended benefit for at-risk populations.
- Evaluating multi-component technology interventions is challenging due to rapid technological advancements, small sample sizes, short study durations, lack of standardized outcomes, and ethical concerns about privacy and data security. These factors make it difficult to determine the impact of interventions and identify who benefits from them.
- Methodological transparency and the use of frameworks during technology design, development, testing, and implementation are essential to ensure interventions address disparities in cardiovascular health.
- Exploring public-private partnerships may accelerate the incorporation of cutting-edge technology into cardiovascular health behavior interventions, enable sustainable program development, and enhance equitable health.
- It is unlikely that a single technology will address equitable CVH, and solutions leveraging technology will need to be multi-level, addressing social needs to reduce barriers to engaging in healthy behaviors for adolescents and adults.
- Accompanying systems and policy-level changes are essential to ensure the effectiveness and equity of technological solutions for CVH.
- Stronger evidence is needed to inform, implement, and scale cost-effective approaches to reach diverse communities and healthcare institutions and advance the lasting impact of technology interventions on CVH disparities.
Citation
Powell-Wiley TM, Brewer LC, Burke LE, Hernandez R, Kaar JL, Kepper M, Kline CE, Lopez KN, Roberson S, Spees CK, Jerome GJ; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease; and Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. Role of technology in promoting heart healthy behavior change to increase equity in optimal cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. Published online April 7, 2025. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001314