As researchers and developers increasingly tout the potential benefits of health-related apps and wearables, the large number of options available to consumers can make the job of choosing between them nearly impossible. While PsyberGuide surveys the field of products that address mental health concerns, a group of scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital have created Wellocracy, a consumer-oriented website reviewing tracking apps and devices that focus on physical health and wellness.

When it comes to apps and wearables, “tracking” relates to the collection and analysis of data about daily health-related activities such as exercise or diet. The idea is that this information can be used to give feedback to the user or to medical providers and researchers in order to improve physical health at both individual and community levels. Wellocracy focuses on nine categories of products that provide this service:

  • Wearable Devices
  • Running Apps
  • Pedometer Apps
  • Sleep Apps and Devices
  • Mood Apps
  • Food and Calorie Apps
  • Heart Health Apps and Devices
  • Connected Scales
  • Healthy Habit Apps

An excellent feature of Wellocracy is that products in each category are compared side-by-side to make it easy to determine which fits best into the user’s lifestyle. To help with this decision-making process, the site includes a useful questionnaire of potential health/wellness goals and problem areas in order to generate individually-tailored suggestions. In addition, Wellocracy provides basic information about tracking and how making it a regular part of a daily schedule can lead to a better life.

Wellocracy holds a lot of promise in the growing field of tracking apps and wearables. As scientists at renowned research hospitals, the group behind Wellocracy is in a unique position to study the current crop of products and offer reliable data about which can be most helpful. We at PsyberGuide think that anyone who is interested in tracking for health should make a visit to Wellocracy the starting point in their search.

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