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Smartphone apps and wearable devices found effective

Smartphone applications and wearable devices are accurate for measures of step count, according to recently published data in JAMA.

“Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States own a smartphone and technology advancements have enabled these devices to track health behaviors such as physical activity and provide convenient feedback,” Meredith A. Case, BA, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues wrote.

To assess the accuracy of smartphone applications and wearable devices in comparison to direct step count observation, researchers evaluated 10 different applications and devices among 14 participants. The researchers asked participants to walk twice on a treadmill, set at 3 mph for 500 and 1,500 steps, while being observed for step count total.

All participants wore the Digi-Walker SW200 pedometer (Yamax) on their waistbands and two accelerometers, the Zip and the One (Fitbit Inc.). Each also wore the Flex (Fitbit Inc.), the UP24 (Jawbone) and the Fuelband (Nike) on the wrist. They each carried an iPhone 5s (Apple) running the applications Fitbit (Fitbit Inc.), Health Mate (Withings) and Moves (ProtoGeo Oy) in one pocket, and a Galaxy S4 (Samsung Electronics) in the other pocket running the Moves application. 

A total of 56 walking trials were recorded, with 552 step count observations. When compared with direct observation, the relative difference in mean step count ranged from – 0.3% to 1% for the pedometer and accelerometers, – 22.7% to – 1.5% for the wearable devices and – 6.7% to 6.2% for smartphone applications, according to researchers.

The researchers found only one device recorded step counts 20% lower than direct observation and deemed the other devices and applications as accurate for step count measurement as observed step counts, according to the study.

“Increased physical activity facilitated by these devices could lead to clinical benefits not realized by low adoption of pedometers,” Case and colleagues wrote. “Our findings may help reinforce individuals’ trust in using smartphone applications and wearable devices to track health behaviors, which could have important implications for strategies to improve population health.”– by Casey Hower

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.