7th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Tiffany Sears
Title: WRIST-WORN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TRACKERS PROGRESSIVELY UNDERESTIMATE STEPS WITH INCREASING WALKING SPEEDS
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Bunn , Exercise Science

The purpose of this study was to determine step-count accuracy of pedometers at different walking speeds. Ten recreationally active participants walked at five treadmill speeds (0.89, 1.11, 1.34, 1.56, and 1.79 m/s) for five minutes while wearing four wrist-worn activity trackers (Fitbit Charge HR®, Garmin Vivosmart HR®, Apple iWatch®, Jawbone UP3®) and the hip-worn Digi-Walker®. Steps at each speed were obtained and compared to a benchmark using one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. All wrist-worn devices tested tended to underestimate steps. Because these devices are inaccurate in a controlled setting, they remain highly questionable for accuracy in a real-world setting.