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Assessing the Accuracy of Fitness Smartwatch Data for Cardiovascular and Physical Activity Monitoring: A Validation Study in Digital Health

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Validity of smartphone pedometer applications.

Krystn Orr¹, Holly S Howe², Janine Omran³

¹Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. krystn.orr@mail.utoronto.ca.

BMC Research Notes

|December 2, 2015

Summary

Smartphone pedometer apps like Accupedo, Moves, and Runtastic Pedometer show unacceptable errors. Researchers advise caution when using these apps for physical activity monitoring or research due to their inaccuracy.

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Human Movement Science
Digital Health

Background:

Smartphone pedometer applications are widely used for physical activity tracking.
There is a limited number of published validity studies for these commercial applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the validity of three popular smartphone pedometer applications: Accupedo, Moves, and Runtastic Pedometer.
To compare the accuracy of these applications against a criterion measure.

Main Methods:

Convenience samples of males and females participated in laboratory and free-living tests.
Five conditions were assessed: 20-step test, stair climbing, treadmill walking/running, driving, and 3-day free-living.
The Yamax SW-200 pedometer and observed step counts served as criterion measures.

Main Results:

All assessed smartphone pedometer applications demonstrated an unacceptable percentage of error.
Inaccuracies were observed across various conditions, including different activity types and durations.

Conclusions:

The commercial smartphone pedometer applications studied are inaccurate for measuring steps.
Caution is advised when promoting these applications for public self-monitoring of physical activity.
Their use in research trials for assessing physical activity requires careful consideration due to potential inaccuracies.