Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32897239›Full record

SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020

Reliability and Validity of Commercially Available Wearable Devices for Measuring Steps, Energy Expenditure, and Heart Rate: Systematic Review.

Daniel Fuller, Emily Colwell, Jonathan Low, Kassia Orychock, Melissa Ann Tobin, Bo Simango, Richard Buote, Desiree Van Heerden, Hui Luan, Kimberley Cullen and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05684367 (Center-Based and Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention to Reduce Fatigue in Older Breast Cancer Survivors), which is not on this map. Cited by 363 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
363citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT05684367 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Center-Based and Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention to Reduce Fatigue in Older Breast Cancer Survivors

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of FloridaRan2023 to 2026Enrolled24ConditionsFatigue, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Therapy-RelatedArmsCenter-Based Walking Exercise, Home-Based Walking Exercise
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

363 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  5. Momentary physiological indices related to eating disorders: A systematic and methodological review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2024
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  11. Urge Coping Mediates the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Smoking Outcomes in a Sample of Premenopausal Women Intending to Quit Smoking.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025
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303 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

12 authors.

Daniel Fuller *School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2015-2955
Emily Colwell *School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1045-6234
Jonathan Low *School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1964-6237
Kassia OrychockSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1355-8842
Melissa Ann TobinFaculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4128-4690
Bo SimangoSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3695-2815
Richard BuoteFaculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7981-7854
Desiree Van HeerdenFaculty of Engineering, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-8994-8428
Hui LuanDepartment of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9884-8509
Kimberley CullenSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7904-9151
Logan SladeFaculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-2641-4124
Nathan G A TaylorSchool of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6478-8165

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundConsumer-wearable activity trackers are small electronic devices that record fitness and health-related measures.

objectiveThe purpose of this systematic review was to examine the validity and reliability of commercial wearables in measuring step count, heart rate, and energy expenditure.

methodsWe identified devices to be included in the review. Database searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, and SPORTDiscus, and only articles published in the English language up to May 2019 were considered. Studies were excluded if they did not identify the device used and if they did not examine the validity or reliability of the device. Studies involving the general population and all special populations were included. We operationalized validity as criterion validity (as compared with other measures) and construct validity (degree to which the device is measuring what it claims). Reliability measures focused on intradevice and interdevice reliability.

resultsWe included 158 publications examining nine different commercial wearable device brands. Fitbit was by far the most studied brand. In laboratory-based settings, Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Samsung appeared to measure steps accurately. Heart rate measurement was more variable, with Apple Watch and Garmin being the most accurate and Fitbit tending toward underestimation. For energy expenditure, no brand was accurate. We also examined validity between devices within a specific brand.

conclusionsCommercial wearable devices are accurate for measuring steps and heart rate in laboratory-based settings, but this varies by the manufacturer and device type. Devices are constantly being upgraded and redesigned to new models, suggesting the need for more current reviews and research.

Indexed as

Fitness TrackersWearable Electronic DevicesEnergy MetabolismHeart RateHumansReproducibility of ResultsApple Watchcommercial wearable devicesenergy expenditureFitbitGarminheart ratePolarstep countsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID32897239
PMCPMC7509623

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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.