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Three Body-Worn Accelerometers in the French NutriNet-Santé Cohort: Feasibility and Acceptability Study
Abdouramane Soumaré1, Léopold K Fezeu1, Jérôme Bouchan1
1Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and Université Paris Cité, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), F-93017, Bobigny, Paris, France.
JMIR Formative Research
|November 20, 2025
Summary
The Fitbit watch is the most accepted device for measuring physical activity (PA) in free-living conditions, showing high compliance and ease of use. Further evaluation is needed for large-scale implementation regarding logistics, cost, and data privacy.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Wearable technology
- Public health
Background:
- Accurate physical activity (PA) assessment in large cohorts is challenging.
- Self-report questionnaires suffer from biases, while accelerometers offer objectivity but require feasibility evaluation.
- Wearable sensors are crucial for objective PA measurement in population studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the acceptability and feasibility of three body-worn accelerometer devices (Fitbit, ActivPAL, ActiGraph) in middle-aged adults.
- To compare user acceptance based on comfort, ease of use, and social factors.
- To evaluate wear-time compliance for objective PA monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Ancillary study within the WEALTH project (2023-2024) involving 126 healthy participants.
- Simultaneous 7-day wear of Fitbit (wrist), ActivPAL (thigh), and ActiGraph (waist) devices.
- Acceptability assessed via a 22-item questionnaire (Technology Acceptance Model); feasibility by wear-time compliance (≥600 min/day).
Main Results:
- Fitbit showed the highest acceptability (mean 80.5/100), excelling in comfort and ease of use.
- ActiGraph had the lowest acceptability (mean 71.7), citing stability and interference issues.
- All devices demonstrated high feasibility, with ActivPAL achieving the highest daily wear time.
Conclusions:
- The Fitbit watch is the most accepted device for measuring physical activity in free-living conditions within the NutriNet-Santé study.
- Large-scale deployment requires evaluation of logistical, cost, and data privacy considerations.
- Wearable accelerometers offer a viable objective method for PA assessment in population studies.
