Recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a new campaign to encourage the use of wearable health trackers, stating that they could play a vital role in the “Making America Healthy Again” agenda. Wearable health trackers like smartwatches and smart rings have gained popularity in recent years as society has become more focused on self-improvement. These devices can provide a snapshot of a person’s health through the assessment of a user’s heartrate, activity, daily steps, and sleep patterns and these wearable devices can also track a user’s location.
Many health insurance companies are in favor of wearable health trackers and there are several programs that encourage employees to share their health data, offering perks and incentives like discounts or gift cards in exchange for this data. In 2023, America’s largest health insurance company, UnitedHealthcare, announced that it would be launching a rewards program for members who used wearable devices to track their daily activity goals, sleep and other health-related activities. A 2015 study from Parks Associates indicated that 35% of smartwatch owners in the U.S. would be willing to share their data in exchange for a health insurance discount. A more recent survey from ValuePenguin in 2022 mirrored these findings, indicating that nearly 7 in 10 Americans would share data from their health tracker in exchange for a health insurance discount.
Although wearable health trackers are not required in the workplace, meat companies, food and beverage manufacturers, and hospitality workers are among some of the industries where workers are encouraged to utilize this technology. Some research suggests that wearable activity tracking technology can improve employee health, which may lower employer health insurance costs, and may improve occupational safety in some high-risk industries. Because fitness trackers can lower health insurance costs for companies, they are encouraged through many employee wellness programs, but several problems can arise with the sharing of health data from these wearable devices.
The first is the potential for discrimination. Data that is collected from fitness trackers and other health-related wearable devices may contain information about an employee’s physical or mental conditions, which may be revealed through measurements like blood pressure information and diagnostic tests such as heart rate monitoring. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the collection of that information is prohibited unless it is “job related and consistent with business necessity.” Fitness trackers may be able to reveal when a person is pregnant. One 2025 study indicated that wearable devices with AI were able to predict pregnancy with 92% accuracy and diabetes with 82% accuracy, PCMag reported. The data disclosed from these wearable devices may reveal chronic conditions or pregnancy, which can lead to disability or pregnancy-related discrimination.
Another issue is that wearable devices may be less accurate on darker skin tones. Some evidence suggests that smartwatches and fitness trackers are less reliable on darker skin tones. The American College of Cardiology reported in 2022 that evidence suggests that heart rate measurements of darker-skinned individuals were less accurate than lighter-skinned individuals. A 2024 research study revealed that some health measurements on the Apple Watch Series 9 were less accurate on darker skin tones compared to lighter skin tones. There are also racial disparities in sleep duration, with Black adults having disproportionately higher rates of sleep-related disorders. If a company, for example, is rewarding employees who reach a certain sleep score on their fitness trackers, Black employees, who on average get less sleep and are prone to more sleep issues, could be disparately impacted.
There is a wealth of evidence and research that suggests that there are racial and ethnic differences in activity and exercise levels. One 2022 study revealed that Black, Asian American and Hispanic adults were less likely to engage in “sufficient physical activity levels” compared to their white counterparts. A 2025 report from the Center for Disease Control on physical inactivity outside of work highlighted racial and ethnic differences in physical activity levels, citing potential factors being fewer safe spaces for physical activities due to the lack of walkability in many areas with historically marginalized and excluded populations, as well as a lack of time and social support systems. Rewarding employees based on their level of activity or exercise doesn’t take into consideration the structural barriers that make it more challenging for certain populations of employees to get the same levels of exercise and activity as their counterparts.
In workplaces where employers have access to this sensitive health data, employees may be treated differently because of their health information. This could lead to biased employee evaluations and performance reviews. Workers whose health data reveals they are disabled or pregnant may not get the same opportunities as their counterparts. Employees who are darker-skinned may not have the same access to workplace wellness perks rewarded for positive health outcomes (increased heart rate and exercise or sleep duration) because of biased, unreliable health assessments.
When it comes to wearable health trackers, there is also the issue of potential data breaches, which have become more frequent and common, and could leave sensitive employee data vulnerable to hackers. The use of this type of health data by employers may feel Orwellian and could feed into surveillance culture in the workplace, eroding employee trust. Companies should proceed with caution when it comes to encouraging wearable health trackers to access employee data. The positive outcomes that may come from this type of technology may not be worth the potential problems that can also arise with the collection of data from these devices.