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Acceptability of wearable technology for the early detection of dementia-causing diseases: perspectives from the CODEC II cohort
Sarah Wilson, Emily Beswick, Rachel Morrell, Sharandeep Bhogal, Clare L. Tolley, Tim J Whitfield, Kieran Wing, Ríona Mc Ardle et al.. BMC Digital Health, 2025-08-28
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
= 1), and three caregivers. Five key themes were identified, including ease of use, wearability, usefulness, transparency, and behavioral intention. Many participants relied on the research team to help set up the technology for them due to high levels of digital anxiety. Individuals with MCI particularly struggled with cognitive testing games in the active smartphone app, which they experienced increased awareness of their own cognitive impairments. Participants preferred wrist-worn over head-worn devices due to familiarity and impact on their appearance. While some participants enjoyed using the wearables, others questioned their accuracy for medical purposes. There was also a lack of understanding around what data were being collected from the wearables and how it was being collected, with some expressing concerns about data disclosure. Participants with professional or caregiving responsibilities described how their busy lifestyles hindered daily use of the wearables. These findings highlight the importance of using an inclusive design approach to meet users' needs and support digital inclusivity, and an effective communication strategy to increase transparency and reduce data disclosure concerns. Future research is needed to explore the effectiveness of implementing current recommendations to support digital health equity and codesign a communication strategy with users to ensure the information is understandable. Trial registration: CODEC-II was retrospectively registered as a clinical trial under the registry ClinicalTrials.gov (trial registration number: NCT07051408, date of registration: 3rd June 2025). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Wilson, S., Beswick, E., Morrell, R., Bhogal, S., Tolley, C. L., Whitfield, T. J., et al. (2025). Acceptability of wearable technology for the early detection of dementia-causing diseases: perspectives from the CODEC II cohort. BMC Digital Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3
Vancouver
Wilson S, Beswick E, Morrell R, Bhogal S, Tolley CL, Whitfield TJ, et al. Acceptability of wearable technology for the early detection of dementia-causing diseases: perspectives from the CODEC II cohort. BMC Digital Health. 2025. doi:10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3. PMID: 40893385.
BibTeX
@article{wilson2025-40893385,
author = {Wilson, Sarah and Beswick, Emily and Morrell, Rachel and Bhogal, Sharandeep and Tolley, Clare L. and Whitfield, Tim J and Wing, Kieran and Ardle, Ríona Mc and others},
title = {{Acceptability of wearable technology for the early detection of dementia-causing diseases: perspectives from the CODEC II cohort}},
journal = {BMC Digital Health},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3},
pmid = {40893385},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Five key themes were identified, including ease of use, wearability, usefulness, transparency, and behavioral intention.
- Many participants relied on the research team to help set up the technology for them due to high levels of digital anxiety.
- Individuals with MCI particularly struggled with cognitive testing games in the active smartphone app, which they experienced increased awareness of their own cognitive impairments.
- Participants preferred wrist-worn over head-worn devices due to familiarity and impact on their appearance.
- While some participants enjoyed using the wearables, others questioned their accuracy for medical purposes.
Why it matters
People with mild cognitive impairment and caregivers gave feedback on wearable devices for early detection of dementia-causing diseases, noting issues with ease of use, transparency and data concerns. This is about acceptability and design, not about treating, curing or preventing dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Digital Health) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | BMC Digital Health: journal h-index 19 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Sarah Patricia Slight: h-index 36 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40893385) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s44247-025-00191-3
- PubMed: 40893385
- Original source →
- Free full text: BMC Digital Health →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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