Accuracy of Fitness Trackers
College
College of Education
Department
Physical Education, Sport & Human Performance
Faculty Mentor
David Schary, Ph.D.
Abstract
This research involves the latest fad in physical activity, which is fitness trackers. The main goal of this research is to prove the accuracy of various types of fitness trackers, such as Fitbits, Apple Watches, Jawbones, Withings, and other types of trackers. The purpose is to ensure the accuracy of fitness trackers, not just during physical activity, but also throughout an entire day. Fitness trackers measure steps, energy expenditure, calorimetry, heart rate, distance, sleep, and flights of stairs taken. These are a lot of complex measurements that are made by these devices. There are many studies that try to measure device accuracy in each category, and there are also a lot of studies that compare different kinds of fitness trackers to see which one is most accurate. Some seem to be more accurate in certain areas than others. Each brand of fitness tracker comes out with a new and improved version all the time to keep up with the research. There is much research on comparing different fitness trackers to one another and there are trends throughout the research. From what research portrays, the Fitbit Ultra is the most accurate when it comes to measuring steps. In a particular study, one party wore the Fitbit Ultra, and another wore Jawbone as both pursued their regular activities for an entire day. The Jawbone calculated many false positives when the person would be washing dishes, or performing some sort of arm movement. My interpretation of this research so far is that Fitbits seem to be the most accurate, and the most widely used fitness trackers.
Course Assignment
PESH 381 – Schary
Start Date
21-4-2017 2:45 PM
Accuracy of Fitness Trackers
DiGiorgio Campus Center, Room 114
This research involves the latest fad in physical activity, which is fitness trackers. The main goal of this research is to prove the accuracy of various types of fitness trackers, such as Fitbits, Apple Watches, Jawbones, Withings, and other types of trackers. The purpose is to ensure the accuracy of fitness trackers, not just during physical activity, but also throughout an entire day. Fitness trackers measure steps, energy expenditure, calorimetry, heart rate, distance, sleep, and flights of stairs taken. These are a lot of complex measurements that are made by these devices. There are many studies that try to measure device accuracy in each category, and there are also a lot of studies that compare different kinds of fitness trackers to see which one is most accurate. Some seem to be more accurate in certain areas than others. Each brand of fitness tracker comes out with a new and improved version all the time to keep up with the research. There is much research on comparing different fitness trackers to one another and there are trends throughout the research. From what research portrays, the Fitbit Ultra is the most accurate when it comes to measuring steps. In a particular study, one party wore the Fitbit Ultra, and another wore Jawbone as both pursued their regular activities for an entire day. The Jawbone calculated many false positives when the person would be washing dishes, or performing some sort of arm movement. My interpretation of this research so far is that Fitbits seem to be the most accurate, and the most widely used fitness trackers.
