Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35947445›Full record

ArticleJMIR aging2022

A Smartwatch Step-Counting App for Older Adults: Development and Evaluation Study.

George Boateng, Curtis L Petersen, David Kotz, Karen L Fortuna, Rebecca Masutani, John A Batsis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR aging, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 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.

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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
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

6 authors.

George BoatengDepartment of Management, Technology and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4540-9582
Curtis L PetersenGeisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7210-447X
David KotzGeisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7411-2783
Karen L FortunaGeisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0343-2346
Rebecca MasutaniDivision of Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3917-2606
John A BatsisGeisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0845-4416

Funding

Treatment Development & Evaluation CoreP30DA029926 · NIDA · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI Lisa A. Marsch · 2011 to 2026
$21.5M
SYNERGY: The Dartmouth Center for clinical and Translational ScienceUL1TR001086 · NCATS · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI GREEN, ALAN I · 2013 to 2017
$18.3M
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research CenterU48DP005018 · DP · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI ADACHI-MEJIA, ANNA MARIA · 2014 to 2018
$5.6M
Mobile Health Obesity Wellness Intervention in Rural Older Adults_Res1K23AG051681 · NIA · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BATSIS, JOHN A. · 2016 to 2022
$1.1M
Peer-Delivered and Technology-Assisted Integrated Illness Management and RecoveryK01MH117496 · NIMH · DARTMOUTH-HITCHCOCK CLINIC · PI FORTUNA, KAREN L. · 2019 to 2023
$615k
ACL HHS U48DP005018NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001086NCCDPHP CDC HHS U48 DP005018NIA NIH HHS K23 AG051681NIDA NIH HHS P30 DA029926NIMH NIH HHS K01 MH117496Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults who engage in physical activity can reduce their risk of mobility impairment and disability. Short amounts of walking can improve quality of life, physical function, and cardiovascular health. Various programs have been implemented to encourage older adults to engage in physical activity, but sustaining their motivation continues to be a challenge. Ubiquitous devices, such as mobile phones and smartwatches, coupled with machine-learning algorithms, can potentially encourage older adults to be more physically active. Current algorithms that are deployed in consumer devices (eg, Fitbit) are proprietary, often are not tailored to the movements of older adults, and have been shown to be inaccurate in clinical settings. Step-counting algorithms have been developed for smartwatches, but only using data from younger adults and, often, were only validated in controlled laboratory settings.

objectiveWe sought to develop and validate a smartwatch step-counting app for older adults and evaluate the algorithm in free-living settings over a long period of time.

methodsWe developed and evaluated a step-counting app for older adults on an open-source wrist-worn device (Amulet). The app includes algorithms to infer the level of physical activity and to count steps. We validated the step-counting algorithm in the lab (counting steps from a video recording, n=20) and in free-living conditions-one 2-day field study (n=6) and two 12-week field studies (using the Fitbit as ground truth, n=16). During app system development, we evaluated 4 walking patterns: normal, fast, up and down a staircase, and intermittent speed. For the field studies, we evaluated 5 different cut-off values for the algorithm, using correlation and error rate as the evaluation metrics.

resultsThe step-counting algorithm performed well. In the lab study, for normal walking (R

conclusionsOur findings demonstrate the importance of an iterative process in algorithm development before field-based deployment. This work highlights various challenges and insights involved in developing and validating monitoring systems in real-world settings. Nonetheless, our step-counting app for older adults had good performance relative to the ground truth (a commercial Fitbit step counter). Our app could potentially be used to help improve physical activity among older adults.

Indexed as

appmachine learningmHealthmobile appmobile applicationmobile healtholder adultspedometerphysical activitysmartwatchstep countingstep trackinguHealthwalkingwearable

Identifiers

PMID35947445
PMCPMC9403825

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.