Author(s)

James A. Levine

Obesity Solutions, Mayo Clinic, 13400 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85259 and Arizona State University, Fulton School of Engineering, Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Wearable technologies could be influential for improving healthcare in underserved areas. Wearable sensors are straightforward to develop, have low production costs and the methods for processing high volumes of data are advanced. Here we examine the application of wearable technology for improving health in three poverty-related scenarios. The first is for diabetes prevention in Mexico City. The second is for medical care in the Kibera slum in Nairobi and the third is for the delivery of “health kits” to refugees. The analysis affirms that investment is worthwhile in mass scalable wearable technologies directed at the half of the world’s population who live in poverty.

Wearable Technology, Consumer Behavior, Poverty, Entrepreneurship

Levine, J. (2017) The Application of Wearable Technologies to Improve Healthcare in the World’s Poorest People. Technology and Investment, 8, 83-95. doi: 10.4236/ti.2017.82007.