Comparative Effectiveness of Wearable Devices and Built-In Step Counters in Reducing Metabolic Syndrome Risk in South...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Public Health Interventions
• Metabolic Syndrome Research

Background:

• Mobile health technologies offer potential for managing metabolic syndrome.
• Comparative effectiveness of different mobile health tools in large-scale interventions requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare wearable activity trackers versus mobile app-based (built-in step counters) effectiveness in a national mobile health program.
• To assess impacts on walking practice, health behaviors, and metabolic syndrome risk reduction.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 46,579 participants in South Korea's national mobile health care program (2020-2022).
• Propensity score matching was used to control for baseline characteristic differences between wearable device and built-in step counter users.
• Outcomes measured included changes in walking practice, health behaviors, and metabolic syndrome risk factors over 24 weeks.

Main Results:

• Both device types significantly improved walking practice, health behaviors, and reduced metabolic syndrome risk (45.2%-60.8% improvement rates).
• Built-in step counters demonstrated greater metabolic syndrome risk reduction (OR 1.20) compared to wearable devices.
• Younger adults (19-39 years) showed a more pronounced benefit from built-in step counters for metabolic syndrome risk reduction (OR 1.35).

Conclusions:

• Both wearable devices and built-in step counters are effective in reducing metabolic syndrome risk within public health initiatives.
• Built-in step counters may offer a slight advantage, especially for specific demographics like young adults.
• Personalized mobile health device recommendations tailored to individual characteristics could optimize intervention effectiveness.