Smartwatches' Influence on Health Behavior Change and Occupational Engagement Among African American Students

Authors

Keywords:

smartwatch, wearable technology, African American students, occupational engagement, health behaviors

Abstract

Background: African American university students face disproportionate barriers to health and wellness, including elevated stress and limited access to wellness resources. Wearable technologies, such as smartwatches, offer promising tools for promoting health behavior change and occupational engagement in underserved populations.

Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between smartwatch usage and perceived behavior change among 44 African American students. Participants completed a self-administered survey assessing usage frequency, duration, and perceived impact on daily habits.

Findings: Pearson correlation analyses revealed a significant positive association between the frequency of smartwatch use and perceived behavior change (r = .302, p = .046), while duration of ownership showed no significant relationship.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that consistent smartwatch use may support self-management and meaningful engagement in daily routines, positioning wearable technologies as valuable adjuncts to digital health strategies for minority student populations.

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Author Biographies

  • Dr Thierry Lienou, Howard University

    Dr. Thierry Lienou is an Assistant Professor at Howard University. His research explores the intersection of technology and equitable healthcare delivery. His areas of expertise include wearable technology, telehealth, artificial intelligence, rehabilitation, technology-enabled rehabilitation, and global health. Dr. Lienou’s work emphasizes the role of digital innovations in improving health outcomes and daily functioning in underserved communities.

  • Dr Jaleshia Washington, University of Texas Medical Branch

    Jaleshia Washington is an occupational therapist at the University of Texas Medical Branch. She specializes in technology and functional rehabilitation.

  • Alain Bagmi

    Alain Bagmi is an information technology expert with over a decade of experience in federal consulting and health technology innovation. He holds multiple certifications in cloud architecture and is the founder of Medzen, a telemedicine platform that integrates electronic health records (EHR), hospital management systems, and advanced wearable technology. Alain’s work focuses on using AI-driven digital health solutions to enhance healthcare delivery in underserved populations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Published

31-08-2025

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): The inaugural issue

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Thierry Lienou, Dr Jaleshia Washington, Alain Bagmi (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

© 2025 [Author(s)]. This is an open access article distributed under the **Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)**, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to Cite

Lienou, T., Washington, J., & Bagmi, A. . (2025). Smartwatches’ Influence on Health Behavior Change and Occupational Engagement Among African American Students. The Human Occupation & Wellbeing Journal, 1(1). https://howj.org/index.php/howj/article/view/31

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