A research letter published in JAMA says smartphone apps and wearable devices are nearly as accurate as is direct observation of step counts, and they can be considered viable alternatives to pedometers when devising strategies to improve population health.
©svanhorn/thinkstockphotos.com
Wearable fitness trackers are on a par with direct observation for step counts.
To gauge the accuracy of wearable devices and mobile phone applications designed to measure step counts, researchers asked participants to walk on a treadmill set at 3.0 mph for 500 and 1,500 steps, each twice. Compared with direct observation, the relative difference in mean step count ranged from −0.3% to 1.0% for the pedometer and accelerometers, −22.7% to −1.5% for the wearable devices, and −6.7% to 6.2% for smartphone applications.
With the help of wearable technology and phone apps, increased physical activity could lead to clinical benefits not realized by the relatively low use of pedometers, the authors noted. “Our findings may help reinforce individuals’ trust in using smartphone applications and wearable devices to track health behaviors,” they said.
Read the full article at: (JAMA 2015 Feb 10. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.17841).