Wearable activity trackers for promoting physical activity: A systematic meta-analytic review

2021 ◽  
pp. 104487
Author(s):  
Caining Li ◽  
Xiaoyu Chen ◽  
Xinhua Bi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Analytic Review ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

scholarly journals The Acceptability, Feasibility and Effectiveness of Wearable Activity Trackers for Increasing Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6211
Author(s):  
Amy V. Creaser ◽  
Stacy A. Clemes ◽  
Silvia Costa ◽  
Jennifer Hall ◽  
Nicola D. Ridgers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Start Date ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

Wearable activity trackers (wearables) embed numerous behaviour change techniques (BCTs) that have previously been shown to increase adult physical activity (PA). With few children and adolescents achieving PA guidelines, it is crucial to explore ways to increase their PA. This systematic review examined the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of wearables and their potential mechanisms of action for increasing PA in 5 to 19-year-olds. A systematic search of six databases was conducted, including data from the start date of each database to December 2019 (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020164506). Thirty-three studies were included. Most studies (70%) included only adolescents (10 to 19 years). There was some—but largely mixed—evidence that wearables increase steps and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA and reduce sedentary behaviour. There were no apparent differences in effectiveness based on the number of BCTs used and between studies using a wearable alone or as part of a multi-component intervention. Qualitative findings suggested wearables increased motivation to be physically active via self-monitoring, goal setting, feedback, and competition. However, children and adolescents reported technical difficulties and a novelty effect when using wearables, which may impact wearables’ long-term use. More rigorous and long-term studies investigating the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of wearables in 5 to 19-year-olds are warranted.

Who Uses Wearable Activity Trackers and Why? A Comparison of Former and Current Users in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 762-769
Author(s):  
Ciarán P. Friel ◽  
Carol Ewing Garber
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Physical Activity Behavior ◽  
The United States ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Shared Data ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers ◽  
Average Current ◽  
Activity Behavior

Background: There has been an explosion in the use of wearable activity trackers (WATs), but we do not fully understand who wears them and why. This study’s purpose was to describe the characteristics of WAT users and to compare current and former users. Materials and Methods: A variety of internet-based resources (eg, Craigslist, Facebook) were used to recruit current and former WAT users. Respondents completed a web-based survey, where they provided information on sociodemographic characteristics, health, physical activity behavior, and about their WAT use. Results: Of the 2826 respondents who gave informed consent, 70.8% (n = 2002) met inclusion criteria for this analysis. Respondents ranged from 18 to 81 years old (mean 32.9 ± 12.2 standard deviation) with 73.8% women. Most were current WAT users (68.7%), and the average length of WAT use overall was 9.3 ± 9.7 months. On average, current users wore the device for 3.7 months longer than former users. Compared to current users, former users had a lower body mass index (1.2 kg/m2 less), reported fewer medical conditions, shared data from their device less often, and received the device as a gift more frequently. Conclusions: Current and former users varied in their reasons for using a WAT and how they used their device. Differences identified between these groups support further exploration of associations between WAT users’ profiles and their physical activity behavior.

Wearable sensors and Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies to assess and promote physical activity in stroke: a narrative review

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamala Thilarajah ◽  
Ross A Clark ◽  
Gavin Williams
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers ◽  
Smartphone Technology

Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with approximately one third of people left with permanent deficits impacting on their function. This may contribute to a physically inactive lifestyle and further associated health issues. Current research suggests that people after stroke are not meeting the recommended levels of physical activity, and are less active than people with other chronic illnesses. Thus, it is important to understand how to support people after stroke to uptake and maintain physical activity. Wearable sensors and mobile health (mHealth) technologies are a potential platform to measure and promote physical activity. Some of these technologies may incorporate behaviour change techniques such as real-time feedback. Although wearable activity trackers and smartphone technology are widely available, the feasibility and applicability of these technologies for people after stroke is unclear. This article reviews the devices available for assessment of physical activity in stroke and discusses the potential for advances in technology to promote physical activity in this population.

scholarly journals P59 Monitoring the recovery time of children after elective tonsillectomies using commercial activity trackers, an prospective feasibility study

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. e41.2-e42
Author(s):  
PIP Lambrechtse ◽  
VC Ziesenitz ◽  
A Atkinson ◽  
EJ Bos ◽  
T Welzel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Recovery Time ◽  
List Type ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

IntroductionWearable activity trackers are increasingly incorporated into daily life and are advancing in their technology in means of accuracy, validity and acceptability,1-6 however there is deficient knowledge on using these devices in a paediatric setting. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of physical activity tracking in children7 before and after a standardized surgical intervention and to assess the recovery time after surgery.MethodsThis was a single centre, open-label, prospective feasibility study. We aimed at recruiting 24 children and adolescents 4–16 years of age undergoing elective tonsillectomy. The preoperative period was 10 days before surgery and the postoperative period was 28 days. Activity data were gathered with activity trackers.8 Reference activity was defined as the individual mean of daily steps preoperatively. Recovery time was defined as the number of days that the patient needed to reach reference activity postoperatively. The population was stratified according to age (4–7, 8–16 years).ResultsTwelve male and twelve female patients participated (mean age 6yr, mean BMI percentile 44.7). The age group 4–7 years had a mean recovery time of 11.2 days (SD 5.0) compared to 8.3 days (SD 1.7) in the age group 8–16. The difference was 2.9 days. The tracker datasets were 58% complete. The rate of technical failures of the trackers was 29.2% for the total study period.ConclusionsActivity trackers are a potential tool viable to assess recovery time after surgery in children. Recovery time after tonsillectomy seems to be age-dependent with older children recovering faster. For future studies, we recommend using trackers as a part of assessing physical activity as a parameter of general wellbeing of child during or after an intervention. Using wearable activity trackers is a more modern and appropriate method to assess physical activity,9-14 especially in a paediatric population.ReferencesBrooke SM, An HS, Kang SK, Noble JM, Berg KE, Lee JM. Concurrent validity of wearable activity trackers under free-living conditions. J Strength Cond Res 2017;31(4).Fokkema T, Kooiman TJM, Krijnen WP, Van Der Schans CP, De Groot M. Reliability and validity of ten consumer activity trackers depend on walking speed. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(4).Evenson KR, Goto MM, Furberg RD. Systematic review of the validity and reliability of consumer-wearable activity trackers. Vol. 12, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2015.Huang Y, Xu J, Yu B, Shull PB. Validity of FitBit, Jawbone UP, Nike+ and other wearable devices for level and stair walking. Gait Posture 2016;Hein IM, Troost PW, De Vries MC, Knibbe CAJ, Van Goudoever JB, Lindauer RJL. Why do children decide not to participate in clinical research: A quantitative and qualitative study. Pediatr Res 2015;Van Berge Henegouwen MTH, Van Driel HF, Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité DGA. A patient diary as a tool to improve medicine compliance. Pharm World Sci 1999;21(1):21–4.Stone AA. Patient non-compliance with paper diaries. BMJ 2002;Disclosure(s)Nothing to disclose

scholarly journals B.01 Impact of work-hours and sleep on well-being and burnout for physicians-in-training: the prospective RATE Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. S10-S10
Author(s):  
D Mendelsohn ◽  
I Despot ◽  
PA Gooderham ◽  
A Singhal ◽  
GJ Redekop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Surgical Residents ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Steps Per Day ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers ◽  
Rate Study ◽  
The Impact

Background: Wearable activity trackers are an innovative tool for measuring sleep and physical activity. The Resident Activity Tracker Evaluation (RATE) is a prospective observational study evaluating the impact of work-hours, sleep, and physical activity on resident well-being, burnout, and job satisfaction. Methods: Residents were recruited from: 1. general surgery and orthopedics (SURG), 2. internal medicine and neurology (MED) and 3. anesthesia and radiology (RCD). Groups 1 and 2 do not enforce on-call duration restrictions and group 3 had 12-hour restricted-call durations (RCD). Participants wore FitBit activity trackers for 14 days and completed four validated surveys assessing self-reported health, sleepiness, burnout, and job satisfaction. Results: Fifty-nine residents completed the study. 778 days of activity and 244 on-call periods were tracked. Surgical residents worked 24 more hours per week than non-surgical residents (84.3 vs 60.7). Surgical residents had 7 less hours of sleep per week and reported significantly higher Epworth Sleepiness scores. Nearly two-thirds of participants (61%) scored high burnout on the Maslach depersonalization subscore. Total steps per day and self-reported well-being, burnout, and job satisfaction were comparable between the groups. Conclusions: Despite a positive correlation between work-hours and sleepiness, burnout and well-being were similar among residents. Physical activity did not prevent burnout. These findings are relevant to work-hours policies.

scholarly journals Wearable Activity Trackers in the Management of Rheumatic Diseases: Where Are We in 2020?

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4797
Author(s):  
Thomas Davergne ◽  
Antsa Rakotozafiarison ◽  
Hervé Servy ◽  
Laure Gossec
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Automatic Monitoring ◽  
Great Accuracy ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Activity Tracker ◽  
External Monitoring ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Steps Per Day ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

In healthcare, physical activity can be monitored in two ways: self-monitoring by the patient himself or external monitoring by health professionals. Regarding self-monitoring, wearable activity trackers allow automated passive data collection that educate and motivate patients. Wearing an activity tracker can improve walking time by around 1500 steps per day. However, there are concerns about measurement accuracy (e.g., lack of a common validation protocol or measurement discrepancies between different devices). For external monitoring, many innovative electronic tools are currently used in rheumatology to help support physician time management, to reduce the burden on clinic time, and to prioritize patients who may need further attention. In inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, regular monitoring of patients to detect disease flares improves outcomes. In a pilot study applying machine learning to activity tracker steps, we showed that physical activity was strongly linked to disease flares and that patterns of physical activity could be used to predict flares with great accuracy, with a sensitivity and specificity above 95%. Thus, automatic monitoring of steps may lead to improved disease control through potential early identification of disease flares. However, activity trackers have some limitations when applied to rheumatic patients, such as tracker adherence, lack of clarity on long-term effectiveness, or the potential multiplicity of trackers.

scholarly journals Perspectives of older adults with chronic disease on the use of wearable technology and video games for physical activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205520762110199
Author(s):  
Joshua Simmich ◽  
Allison Mandrusiak ◽  
Trevor Russell ◽  
Stuart Smith ◽  
Nicole Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

Background There is increasing interest in technology to deliver physical rehabilitation and allow clinicians to monitor progress. Examples include wearable activity trackers and active video games (AVGs), where physical activity is required to play the game. However, few studies have explored what may influence the effectiveness of these as technology-based physical activity interventions in older adults with chronic diseases. Objective This study aimed to explore: 1) perceptions about wearable physical activity trackers; 2) perceptions about using technology to share physical activity information with clinicians; 3) barriers and motivators to playing games, including AVGs for rehabilitation. Methods Qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with older adults ( n = 19) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results Wearable activity trackers were perceived as useful to quantify activity, facilitate goal-setting, visualize long-term improvements and provide reminders. Participants generally wished to share data with their clinicians to gain greater accountability, receive useful feedback and improve the quality of clinical care. Participants were motivated to play games (including AVGs) by seeking fun, social interaction and health benefits. Some felt that AVGs were of no benefit or were too difficult. Competition was both a motivator and a barrier. Conclusions The findings of the present study seek to inform the design of technology to encourage physical activity in older adults with chronic diseases.

scholarly journals Effects of Mobile Health Including Wearable Activity Trackers to Increase Physical Activity Outcomes Among Healthy Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Böhm ◽  
Svenja D Karwiese ◽  
Harald Böhm ◽  
Renate Oberhoffer
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers

BACKGROUND Children and adolescents do not meet the current recommendations on physical activity (PA), and as such, the health-related benefits of regular PA are not achieved. Nowadays, technology-based programs represent an appealing and promising option for children and adolescents to promote PA. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate the effects of mobile health (mHealth) and wearable activity trackers on PA-related outcomes in this target group. METHODS Electronic databases such as the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were searched to retrieve English language articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 2012 to June 2018. Those included were articles that contained descriptions of interventions designed to increase PA among children (aged 6 to 12 years) only, or adolescents (aged 13 to 18 years) only, or articles that include both populations, and also, articles that measured at least 1 PA-related cognitive, psychosocial, or behavioral outcome. The interventions had to be based on mHealth tools (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, or mobile apps) or wearable activity trackers. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs, cohort studies, before-and-after studies, and cross-sectional studies were considered, but only controlled studies with a PA comparison between groups were assessed for methodological quality. RESULTS In total, 857 articles were identified. Finally, 7 studies (5 with tools of mHealth and 2 with wearable activity trackers) met the inclusion criteria. All studies with tools of mHealth used an RCT design, and 3 were of high methodological quality. Intervention delivery ranged from 4 weeks to 12 months, whereby mainly smartphone apps were used as a tool. Intervention delivery in studies with wearable activity trackers covered a period from 22 sessions during school recess and 8 weeks. Trackers were used as an intervention and evaluation tool. No evidence was found for the effect of mHealth tools, respectively wearable activity trackers, on PA-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Given the small number of studies, poor compliance with accelerometers as a measuring instrument for PA, risk of bias, missing RCTs in relation to wearable activity trackers, and the heterogeneity of intervention programs, caution is warranted regarding the comparability of the studies and their effects. There is a clear need for future studies to develop PA interventions grounded on intervention mapping with a high methodological study design for specific target groups to achieve meaningful evidence.

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