Blockchains’ Impact on Enhancing Physical Activity, Rehabilitation, Sport, and Exercise-Based Therapeutics: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Blockchain technology is increasingly recognized as a promising solution for managing health-related data, particularly in promoting well-being through physical activity. This is becoming more significant as the Internet of Things (IoT) and sport monitoring sensors continue to expand and become more available, leading to a growing number of users in sports and prolonged usage of these devices, which continuously capture large volumes of physical activity data. The substantial volume of data generated in sports and physical activities, combined with distinct concerns compared to medical and health-related information, makes this domain a unique case for blockchain applications. This paper presents a systematic review of blockchain applications in physical activity, exercise-based rehabilitation, fitness, sport, and exercise-based therapeutics (PARFSET). It specifically focuses on examining their quality attributes, including privacy, security, accountability, personalization, adherence, and extensibility. Our objective is to establish a foundational understanding of the benefits of a blockchain in PARFSET domains, particularly following the decline in initial hype for blockchain technology. We aim to provide a clearer perspective on potential applications, future advancements, and research directions. To this end, we assess the maturity levels of blockchain adoption in these areas and highlight specific examples where a blockchain contributes to enhanced data protection, user-centered customization, trust through accountability, and system scalability. Additionally, we present a hypothetical illustrative case to demonstrate how blockchain applications and their quality outcomes can be effectively integrated. Finally, the paper explores the challenges associated with blockchain implementation and outlines potential directions for future research.

Keywords

• blockchain
• data management
• sport
• physical activity
• fitness
• quality attributes