Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29942628›Full record

ArticleDigital health

Validity of wrist-worn consumer products to measure heart rate and energy expenditure.

Robert S Thiebaud, Merrill D Funk, Jacelyn C Patton, Brook L Massey, Terri E Shay, Martin G Schmidt, Nicolas Giovannitti

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
10.2field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. Wearable activity trackers-advanced technology or advanced marketing?European journal of applied physiology · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Robert S Thiebaud1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Merrill D Funk2Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA.
Jacelyn C Patton1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Brook L Massey1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Terri E Shay1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Martin G Schmidt1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Nicolas Giovannitti1Department of Kinesiology, Texas Wesleyan University, USA.
Texas Wesleyan University · USThe University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe ability to monitor physical activity throughout the day and during various activities continues to improve with the development of wrist-worn monitors. However, the accuracy of wrist-worn monitors to measure both heart rate and energy expenditure during physical activity is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of several popular wrist-worn monitors at measuring heart rate and energy expenditure.

methodsParticipants wore the TomTom Cardio, Microsoft Band and Fitbit Surge on randomly assigned locations on each wrist. The maximum number of monitors per wrist was two. The criteria used for heart rate and energy expenditure were a three-lead electrocardiogram and indirect calorimetry using a metabolic cart. Participants exercised on a treadmill at 3.2, 4.8, 6.4, 8 and 9.7 km/h for 3 minutes at each speed, with no rest between speeds. Heart rate and energy expenditure were manually recorded every minute throughout the protocol.

resultsMean absolute percentage error for heart rate varied from 2.17 to 8.06% for the Fitbit Surge, from 1.01 to 7.49% for the TomTom Cardio and from 1.31 to 7.37% for the Microsoft Band. The mean absolute percentage error for energy expenditure varied from 25.4 to 61.8% for the Fitbit Surge, from 0.4 to 26.6% for the TomTom Cardio and from 1.8 to 9.4% for the Microsoft Band.

conclusionData from these devices may be useful in obtaining an estimate of heart rate for everyday activities and general exercise, but energy expenditure from these devices may be significantly over- or underestimated.

Indexed as

activity monitorsFitbitfitness trackersPhotoplethysmographyphysical activity

Identifiers

PMID29942628
PMCPMC6001222
OpenAlexW2797129112

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.