The Fitbit One Physical Activity Tracker in Men With Prostate Cancer: Validation Study
Erin L Van Blarigan1, Stacey A Kenfield2, Lucy Tantum2
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
JMIR Cancer
|April 20, 2017
Summary
The Fitbit One accurately measures physical activity and steps in prostate cancer survivors, correlating well with the ActiGraph GT3X+. However, it may overestimate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Exercise Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Physical activity is crucial for cancer survivors' quality of life and survival.
- Objective data on physical activity in cancer survivors are scarce.
- No physical activity tracker has been validated for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the Fitbit One's physical activity measurements in free-living prostate cancer survivors.
- To assess the accuracy of Fitbit One against established devices and self-report methods.
Main Methods:
- Validation of Fitbit One against ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer in 22 prostate cancer survivors.
- Comparison with Omron pedometer and a physical activity diary over 7 days.
- Statistical analysis using correlation coefficients to compare device and diary measures.
Main Results:
- Fitbit One and ActiGraph GT3X+ showed strong correlations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (0.85) and steps (0.94).
- Fitbit One step counts correlated well with an Omron pedometer (0.67).
- Fitbit One measured approximately double the MVPA compared to the ActiGraph GT3X+.
Conclusions:
- The Fitbit One is a reliable tool for measuring physical activity and steps in prostate cancer survivors.
- While validated against the ActiGraph, the Fitbit One may overestimate MVPA.
- Further research is needed to refine MVPA measurements in this population.
