Measuring the Fitness of Fitness Trackers

Home / Publications / Measuring the Fitness of Fitness Trackers

Chealsea G. Bender, Jason C. Hoffstot, Brian T. Combs, Sara Hooshangi, and Justin Cappos.

Data collected by fitness trackers could play an important role in improving the health and well-being of the individuals who wear them. Many insurance companies even offer monetary rewards to participants who meet certain steps or calorie goals. However, in order for it to be useful, the collected data must be accurate and also reflect real-world performance. While previous studies have compared step counts data in controlled laboratory environments for limited periods of time, few studies have been done to measure performance over longer periods of time, while the subject does real-world activities.