ArticleBMC public health2026
The interaction between gender, health and smartwatch use on health anxiety.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study investigates the relationship between gender, smartwatch use, diagnosed health conditions, and health anxiety. Previous research has shown health anxiety is more common among women and those with chronic conditions, but little is known about how these factors interact with the use of wearable health technology.
methodsThis study employed a cross-sectional design with 259 participants, controlling for age and trait anxiety levels.
resultsA three-way ANCOVA revealed a significant interaction between gender, smartwatch use, diagnosed health conditions and health anxiety. Post-hoc analysis suggested that smartwatch use is potentially associated with higher health anxiety scores for men with health conditions and this pattern appears to reverse for men without health conditions. In contrast, smartwatch use is potentially associated with lower health anxiety scores for women with health conditions and this pattern appears to reverse for women without health conditions.
conclusionsThese findings suggest the need for personalised approaches to wearable health technology that consider gender differences and the potential psychological associations. Future research should explore how wearables impact health anxiety across other populations and examine whether different types of smartwatches have distinct effects on health anxiety.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.