Walking With Wearable Activity Trackers
Research confirms health benefits.
Do you use a wearable activity tracker? Do you find it helps you move more? Activity trackers encourage people to walk up to 40 minutes more per day, leading to an average 2.2 pounds of weight loss over 5 months, according to a meta-analysis of studies that included more than 164,000 people worldwide.
University of South Australia researchers in Adelaide examined 39 systematic review studies. They found that wearing activity trackers led to increased physical activity, improved body composition and weight loss. However, no significant benefits were found for other health biomarkers or for quality of life and pain outcomes.
“The overall results from the studies we reviewed show that wearable activity trackers are effective across all age groups and for long periods of time,” said lead study author Ty Ferguson, a PhD candidate at UniSA. “They encourage people to exercise on a regular basis, to make it part of their routine and to set goals to lose weight.”
The research is reported in The Lancet Digital Health (2022; doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(22)00111-X).
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Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
