Mobile health technologies, such as wearable devices, mobile health apps and telehealth or remote coaching, have shown potential to help people start and maintain heart-healthy behaviors, such as eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, quitting smoking, monitoring sleep and more. People impacted by adverse social drivers of health, such as lower socioeconomic status, insufficient health care access, housing instability and/or low-income communities, may face barriers accessing cost-effective health technologies.

Vaccination to prevent shingles also reduces the risk of developing dementia in later life, according to a research paper published recently in Nature. This conclusion is based on the analysis of data collected in connection with the introduction of a shingles immunization program launched in Wales in 2013. Economists with their special expertise in statistical analyses have made a significant contribution to the corresponding study.