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Activity trackers may not be valid in step count measurement
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Use of activity trackers among individuals with chronic diseases may not validly measure steps during activities of daily living, according to results published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth.
Researchers analyzed step count among 130 patients with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, chronic pain, cancer or osteoarthritis, as patients performed standardized activity protocols based on activities of daily living. Selected activity trackers included Accupedo (Corusen LLC), Activ8 (Remedy Distribution Ltd.), Digi-Walker CW-700 (Yamax), Fitbit Flex (Fitbit Inc.), Lumoback (Lumo Bodytech), Moves (ProtoGeo Oy), Fitbit One (Fitbit Inc.), UP24 (Jawbone) and Walking Style X (Omron Healthcare Europe BV).
Besides the Activ8 which overestimated step count, results showed an average underestimation in step count among activity trackers. Researchers found a consistent underestimated step count with the Digi-Walker CW-700 and Lumoback for every participant, and a mixture of underestimation and overestimation in the other activity trackers. Researchers also noted a low correlation between step count measured by the activity trackers and observed steps. Although the Fitbit One had a low mean difference on a group level, according to results, scatter and Bland-Altman plots showed a large underestimation and overestimation in step count on an individual level. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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