American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiologyJan 6, 2017

How Activity Trackers Could Change Human Body Research

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 6, 2026

Abstract

Consumer physical activity monitors show accuracies comparable to research-grade monitors for measuring steps.

These devices may provide unprecedented opportunities for research in human physiology and disease due to their continuous activity measurement in real-life settings.
Current applications include their use as measuring devices, monitoring tools, and interventions to encourage behavior change and predict health outcomes.
The review evaluates the accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and validity of these consumer monitors, alongside their limitations in research contexts.
Smartphone apps and platforms, like Apple ResearchKit, may enhance the functionality of consumer physical activity monitors for research purposes.
Future developments could involve integrating sleep monitors and other biosensors, along with advanced information processing techniques.

Simplified

A sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity are well-established risk factors for chronic disease and adverse health outcomes. Thus, there is enormous interest in measuring physical activity in biomedical research. Many consumer physical activity monitors, including Basis Health Tracker, BodyMedia Fit, DirectLife, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Garmin Vivofit, Jawbone UP, MisFit Shine, Nike FuelBand, Polar Loop, Withings Pulse O, and others have accuracies similar to that of research-grade physical activity monitors for measuring steps. This review focuses on the unprecedented opportunities that consumer physical activity monitors offer for human physiology and pathophysiology research because of their ability to measure activity continuously under real-life conditions and because they are already widely used by consumers. We examine current and potential uses of consumer physical activity monitors as a measuring or monitoring device, or as an intervention in strategies to change behavior and predict health outcomes. The accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and validity of consumer physical activity monitors are reviewed, as are limitations and challenges associated with using these devices in research. Other topics covered include how smartphone apps and platforms, such as the Apple ResearchKit, can be used in conjunction with consumer physical activity monitors for research. Lastly, the future of consumer physical activity monitors and related technology is considered: pattern recognition, integration of sleep monitors, and other biosensors in combination with new forms of information processing. 2

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How Activity Trackers Could Change Human Body Research

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