A look at the latest gadgets that keep track of your health and fitness

Imagine a toothbrush that informs your dentist about your brushing habits, a jumpsuit that alerts you if your baby in the other room rolls over, or socks that coach you to a faster 5km run.

You needn't imagine, really. All these products are already, or will soon be, available for purchase. They are part of a rapidly growing market of connected medical and health devices that was estimated to be worth US$5.3 billion (HK$41.1 billion) worldwide last year, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets.

Connected devices contribute about 80 per cent of the total revenue of the mHealth (mobile health) market; the rest is made up of health care applications. Connected devices include cardiac monitoring, blood-sugar monitors for diabetics, multiparameter trackers, and others such as sleep apnea devices, and respiratory monitors.

With increasing awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle, cardiac monitoring and fitness tracking are the main uses of mobile-enabled connected devices, according to the report.

The market for diabetes management devices is on the rise, too, as the chronic disease becomes more prevalent globally.

"People want to know how to live better, how to do things better, so we'll be seeing more of these connected devices," says Jorgen Nordin, head of channel and partner development at Jawbone, makers of the popular UP activity tracking wristband.

While North America contributes the most revenue to the devices and applications market, the report predicts that the increasing number of chronic diseases, faster adoption of smartphones, and related advances in connectivity will drive the Asian and African mHealth markets at a brisk rate.