Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative review of intensity-modulated fiber optic sensors with non-optical sensors for health monitoring applications, from the current research activities in the area.

Design/methodology/approach – A range of published research work in sensor design for four different health monitoring applications, including, lumbar spine bending, upper and lower limb motion tracking, respiration and heart rate monitoring, are presented and discussed in terms of their respective advantages and limitations.

Findings – This paper provides information on the various types of sensors applied into the health monitoring area. The sensing techniques of the fiber optic sensor for the stated applications are focused and compared in details to highlight their contributions.

Originality/value – A comparative review of published work is illustrated in an informative table content, to allow a clear idea of the current sensing approaches for health monitoring applications.