Your Wearable Activity Tracker May be Better at Measuring Some Things Than Others

How accurate are activity trackers? Scientists have taken a closer look at wearable activity trackers and have found that they may be better at measuring some things than others.

In this latest study, the researchers conducted a systematic review of 22 published articles researching the ability of Fitbit and Jawbone, which are two popular activity trackers, to measure steps, distance, physical activity, calories and sleep.

"Wearable devices that track physical activity, sleep and other behaviors are growing significantly in popularity," said Robert Furberg, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We conducted this review to understand how accurate these devices are."

Several studies indicated that the step counting feature was accurate both in the lab and in the field. Only one study, though, assessed distance tracking for Fitbit; it apparently tended to over-estimate at slower speeds and under-estimate at faster speeds.

Other researchers found that both tracker brands under- and under-estimated calories used, and over-estimated total sleep time.

Overall, though, the researchers found that there was a higher validity of step findings, inconclusive findings for distance and physical activity, and lower validity for calories and sleep.

However, there are some things that can be done to improve the accuracy of your device. Make sure to wear your tracker in the same position each day, enter personal details like height and weight at initial set-up, and correctly calibrate the length of a walking stride.

The findings are published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Related Articles

Coffee May Enhance Exercise Endurance

Exercise in Early Life Helps Promote Healthy Brain Metabolism

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).