From Immersion to Equity: A Critical Narrative Review of VR, AR, AI, and Digital Twins in Health Promotion and Future Implementation Pathways
| Author | Mina Lazem | en |
| Author | Nasim Aslani | en |
| Orcid | Mina Lazem [0000-0002-2891-4571] | en |
| Orcid | Nasim Aslani [0000-0002-3162-7469] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-06-30 | en |
| Abstract | Context: Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins (DTs) offer personalized, engaging approaches to health promotion. However, rapid technological innovation may exacerbate existing health inequities. This review critically examined the evidence on the integration of VR, AR, AI, and DTs in health promotion, with a specific focus on equity-related challenges and implementation gaps. Evidence Acquisition: This critical narrative review applied systematic principles for study search and selection; however, no meta-analysis or formal risk-of-bias assessment was performed. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted on January 15, 2025. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed, English-language articles published between 2020 and 2025 that focused on VR, AR, AI, or DTs in health promotion or preventive care. After screening against predefined eligibility criteria, 51 studies were included. Percentages were calculated with 51 as the denominator, and categories were not mutually exclusive. Results: AI was the predominant technological focus (56.8%), followed by VR/AR (31.3%) and DTs (11.7%). Major equity-related challenges included access barriers (54.9%), algorithmic bias (acknowledged in 41.2% of studies, with mitigation proposed in 11.8%), privacy risks (raised in 68.6%, with solutions proposed in 9.8%), and limited co-design (7.8%). Most studies originated in high-income countries (86.3%), whereas only 13.7% focused on low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions: An equity–implementation chasm persists in the literature on immersive and intelligent technologies for health promotion. The proposed Equity-First Implementation Pathway emphasizes foundational equity, inclusive design, ethical governance, and sustainable integration as prerequisites for responsible implementation. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5812/jcrps-169448 | en |
| URI | https://brieflands.com/journals/jcrps/articles/169448 | en |
| Keyword | Digital Health Equity | en |
| Keyword | Immersive Technologies | en |
| Keyword | Artificial Intelligence | en |
| Keyword | Digital Twins | en |
| Keyword | Implementation Science | en |
| Keyword | Algorithmic Bias | en |
| Keyword | Participatory Design | en |
| Keyword | Health Promotion | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | From Immersion to Equity: A Critical Narrative Review of VR, AR, AI, and Digital Twins in Health Promotion and Future Implementation Pathways | en |
| Type | Review Article | en |
Files
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
- Name:
- jcrps-15-1-169448-publish-pdf.pdf
- Size:
- 946.18 KB
- Format:
- Adobe Portable Document Format
- Description:
- Article/s PDF