Do Fitness Trackers Actually Benefit Patients?
Between 2013 and 2015, there were 34 million healthcare wearables shipped around the world. Additionally, the wearable device market — which includes smartwatches, smartwatches, and hearables, in addition to fitness trackers — is expected to be worth $12 million by 2018.
However, there are still some questions surrounding fitness trackers: How accurate are they? Can wearing one motivate people to stay active over time? Will it help users lose weight? And does the industry have a future?
Young Adults
Patients who want to stay in shape might not find much benefit in wearing a Fitbit or Jawbone, according to a recent study. In a report published in September 2016, researchers concluded that there is little evidence of health wearables having a positive effect on the wellness of adults — specifically young adults.
They looked at a group of 470 young adults over the course of two years. At first, study participants were asked to maintain a low-calorie diet and exercise more frequently. After six months, they all showed signs of weight loss. From this point, half of the group started reporting their diet and physical activity, while the rest began to wear fitness trackers to monitor their progress.
“Among young adults with a BMI between 25 and less than 40, the addition of a wearable technology device to a standard behavioral intervention resulted in less weight loss over 24 months,” wrote the authors of the report. “Devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioral weight loss approaches.”
Wellness Plans
Across the country, companies are buying into the idea of fitness trackers, regardless of the questionable benefits. Nationwide, employers are predicted to integrate more than 13 million fitness tracking devices into their wellness programs by 2018, according to Endeavors Partners.
Some companies have in-house contests and make donations on behalf of employees based on their fitness tracker use. The IMA Financial Group in Denver, Colorado, is one example of a company that has turned to the devices to motivate their employees to be more active. IMA allows its employees to opt into UnitedHealthcare’s All Savers Motion insurance plan. This financially reimburses them for meeting daily physical activity goals.
“It’s a sophisticated, yet simple, program that builds in the use of wearable devices directly into the health plan,” UnitedHealthcare spokesman Will Shanley told the Denver Post. “What we’ve seen historically was a lot of walking challenges where companies would subsidize the cost of fitness trackers, but this is really building the device into the health plan itself.”
Accuracy
One of the largest issues surrounding fitness trackers is accuracy. If the wearable cannot accurately detect physical activity, how can patients be expected to understand their own progress?
When researchers from Iowa State University tested Jawbone, Fitbit, and Nike devices for accuracy back in 2014, they found that they all had some margin of error.
“People buy these activity monitors assuming they work, but some of them are not that accurate or have never been tested before,” said Gregory Welk, a professor of kinesiology and one of the researchers. “These companies just produce a nice-looking device with a fancy display and people buy it.”
While the wearables are not entirely inaccurate, Welk suggests that patients turn to a more affordable pedometer, which serves the same purpose.
“The device can be a nudge or a prompt, but it is not going to make them more active unless they change their behavior and learn from their experience,” Welk added, in reference to expensive health wearables. “A $25 pedometer is as good of a behavior change tool as a Fitbit.”
If Fitbit’s revenue forecast is to be believed, fitness trackers as we know them have likely already reached their apex. While certain individuals may find them useful, it’s best to guide each patient toward a healthy lifestyle built on a sensible diet and moderate exercise.
