How accurate is your fitness tracker? Accelerometers are sold under such brand names as Fitbit and Nike+ FuelBand. All sense movement and feed data into the device’s electronic brain, where proprietary equations determine how much energy someone is expending, meaning, how many calories they burn. According to a new study, all 3 of the devices accurately measured energy expenditure when the volunteers walked briskly. But the devices were far less reliable in tracking the energy costs of light-intensity activities like standing or cleaning, often misinterpreting them as physical immobility. Only the calorie cost of typing was overestimated. The question is whether it matters if the devices are inaccurate, especially if they underestimate daily energy expenditure. The studies’ researchers think the inaccuracies do matter. “There’s a growing consensus” among exercise scientists that people should spend less time in sedentary activities, like sitting,” and instead stand up, stroll or sweep more. But if people get the idea from their activity monitors that such activities don’t really count, in terms of movement and calorie expenditure, “it may be harder to get that message across.The good news is that accelerometers are improving such as exploring better monitor placement. At Colorado State, for instance, they have created a prototype shoe-based accelerometer, which embeds the electronics in an insole. Still, the lesson at the moment for anyone who owns an accelerometer is that the device’s measurements are likely to be imperfect- they may not be accurate” for counting calories, but for many people, they’re inspirational, and if using one gets someone to move more, it’s serving a good purpose.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:57:44 +0000
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