Heart Rate Monitoring Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Quantitative Study of Device Agreement in a Community-Based...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate exercise intensity monitoring (e.g., target heart rate [HR]) is crucial for cancer survivor health benefits.
• Chest-worn monitors are valid but may lack feasibility in community/unsupervised settings.
• Consumer wearables offer accessible alternatives for HR monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the agreement between Polar H10 chest monitor and Fitbit Inspire HR for HR measurement.
• To evaluate HR monitoring accuracy in breast cancer survivors during a pilot exercise trial.

Main Methods:

• 14 breast cancer survivors participated in a 12-week aerobic walking program.
• Concurrent HR measurements taken using Polar H10 and Fitbit Inspire HR at 5 stages.
• Lin concordance correlation coefficient (rc) and relative error rates analyzed for agreement.

Main Results:

• Highest agreement between devices observed during rest and recovery (rc=0.76-0.89).
• Lowest agreement occurred during warm-up (rc=0.39) and midpoint of exercise (rc=0.63).
• Fitbit overestimated HR during peak exercise, with greatest relative error during warm-up.

Conclusions:

• Fitbit Inspire HR may overestimate HR during peak exercise, risking overexertion for cancer survivors.
• Use of Fitbit Inspire HR for exercise HR estimation requires caution regarding participant safety.
• Careful data interpretation is necessary when using consumer wearables for monitoring cancer survivor exercise.