![]() What's next?Īs technology evolves and research provides more information about what works (and what doesn't), I think we'll see a new generation of devices that are more customized to individual needs and medical conditions. This study follows another one from the University of Pittsburgh that found less weight loss among young adults who used fitness trackers compared to those who didn't. In addition, most people in the real world probably have no direct financial incentives to maintain a certain level of activity each week. They went to the effort and expense of enrolling in the study and agreed to put up with all the monitoring. This is disappointing indeed, especially considering that the participants in this study were probably more motivated than most to focus on their activity levels. And after a year, with incentives stopped, activity levels fell in the groups receiving an incentive compared to when they started. When incentives stopped, only one in 10 study subjects continued to use the Fitbit. This group was more active than the control group at six months, and 88% of them were still using their Fitbits (compared with about 60% of the Fitbit only and charity incentive groups). The group receiving the cash incentive increased their daily steps compared to the start of the study. So, what did they find? First, the good news Study participants also had monitoring of more vigorous exercise and physical activity, weight, blood pressure, fitness levels, and they were asked about quality of life as well. Researchers monitored more than just the number of steps taken. a control group that did not use an activity tracker this group also received the $3/week for participation regardless of activity levels.a Fitbit plus a payment to a charity (which was larger with increased activity). ![]() a Fitbit plus a cash incentive ($11 for taking 50,000 to 70,000 steps each week, or $22 for more than 70,000 steps/week).use of a Fitbit Zip, a popular clip-on activity tracker (with payment of $3/week to continue in the study regardless of the number of steps taken).Each of the 800 employees enrolled in the study paid the equivalent of $7 to enroll and then were randomly assigned to one of four groups for one year: That's why researchers at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School designed a study to compare full-time employees who used activity trackers with those who did not. My guess is that most people take for granted that activity trackers are helpful in promoting more physical activity, but that's based mostly on assumption. Do activity trackers really improve health? Activity trackers are the first, um, step (sorry, couldn't resist). Since the health benefits of physical activity - and the health risks of being sedentary - are well established, increasing activity is a health priority (or should be) for millions of people. The point of activity trackers is to become more aware of how much (or how little) activity we're doing so that we can make positive changes. It's important to keep in mind that there is a purpose to all of this. ![]() Technology we carry around with us - our phones, watches, or other gadgets - allows enormous amounts of data to be collected about us every day. Some companies offer prizes, financial incentives, or reductions in health insurance premiums if an employee participates in such a program. As is common in many workplaces, one of our hospital's wellness programs has organized "walking clubs" with teams comparing and competing with each other based on the number of steps team members take each week. And there are other options: I could track how often I stand up, how many calories I've burned by being active, and how many minutes I've engaged in brisk activity.Įven my employer has gotten into the act. It also tracks the number of flights of stairs I've climbed and the number of miles I covered. My phone tracks it without me even asking it to. Follow me on Twitter I've been checking the number of steps I take each day.
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