Cardiovascular Disease: Can Digital Technologies Help?

New digital health technologies emerge often in today’s world. Phone apps, health websites, and wearable technologies – like watches, can help you set and monitor health goals. For people living with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), using digital health technologies may be of interest.

CVDs represent a group of heart and blood vessel disorders, including coronary heart disease and stroke (1;2). Worldwide, CVDs are the leading cause of death, and in Canada every five minutes one person dies from a heart condition, stroke, or vascular cognitive impairment (2;3).

Lifestyle behaviours such as eating healthy, being physically active, limiting alcohol intake, and not smoking are important ways to reduce the risk of CVD (1). But actively engaging in healthy behaviours or stopping unhealthy ones can be easier said than done. As technology evolves, its role as an “aid” in different areas of our health warrants further assessment. 

With this in mind, a systematic review took a look at the impact of digital strategies on behavioural outcomes—such as physical activity, diet, medication adherence, smoking, and alcohol consumption—and clinical outcomes—such as cholesterol, body mass index, blood sugar, and blood pressure—in people living with CVD. Here, digital strategies combined the use of devices like cell/mobile phones, wearable tech, and laptops and desktops with technologies like the internet, apps, text messaging, and mobile sensors (3).

References

1. Akinosun AS, Polson R, Diaz-Skeete Y, et al. Digital technology interventions for risk factor modification in patients with cardiovascular disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021; 9(3):e21061. doi: 10.2196/21061.
2. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases. [Internet] 2023. [cited July 2023]. Available from https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1
3. Heart & Stroke. Connected by the numbers. [Internet] 2019. [cited July 2023]. Available from https://www.heartandstroke.ca/articles/connected-by-the-numbers

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