The Effectiveness of Wearable Devices on the Users’ Health: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Najd Almuwais, Zahyah H. Alharbi

© 2022 Zahyah H. Alharbi, published by UIKTEN. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Citation Information: SAR Journal. Volume 5, Issue 3, Pages 149-158, ISSN 2619-9955, https://doi.org/10.18421/SAR53-06, September 2022.

Received: 24 August 2022.
Revised:   18 September 2022.
Accepted: 24 September 2022.
Published: 27 September 2022.

Abstract:

Individuals’ health and well-being can be greatly improved by using wearable devices. However, despite the rising popularity of wearable devices, we have a limited understanding of how these devices influence the users’ health and fitness. To fill this gap, a qualitative investigation was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of smartwatches and fitness trackers. The data was collected through focus group interviews and were examined using thematic analysis. 12 female participants from Saudi Arabia who use smartwatches took part in this study. Overall, the study showed that there is a positive impact on the users’ health and motivation. The self-monitoring and reminders were the main features in the participants' minds when buying a smartwatch. For some participants tracking their health was not the main purpose of buying a smartwatch. But eventually, they got attached to it. This study may be taken further by targeting a larger sample with both genders.

Keywords – wearable devices, smartwatch, fitness trackers, users’ health and fitness, persuasive technology.

                   

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