Award Date

5-15-2023

Degree Type

Professional Paper

Degree Name

Master of Science in Kinesiology

Department

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences

First Committee Member

James W. Navalta

Number of Pages

26

Abstract

Two popular wearable fitness device brands are Fitbit and Garmin. The validity of Fitbit and Garmin’s wrist-worn devices in measuring step counts in various settings, such as walking up and down a staircase, is unclear. PURPOSE: To determine if four devices, the Fitbit Charge 2, Fitbit Versa 2, Garmin Fēnix 5 and Garmin Vívosmart HR+ record valid measures of step count when ascending and descending flights of stairs at three different speeds. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants (n=28) were tested individually. Two devices were randomly selected to be placed on each wrist. Participants climbed up and then down one, two, and three flights of stairs (19, 39, and 59 steps, respectively [manual count]) at speeds of 50, 75, and 100, beats per minute (bpm) for a total of 18 trials. The step counts provided by each device was recorded before and after each up and down trial. Each trial was separated by 2-3 minutes of rest. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE, ≤10%) and Lin’s Concordance (ρc ≥0.9) were used to validate the device step counts with the actual number of steps. Dependent T-tests determined differences (p≤0.05). RESULTS: The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ met validity threshold for walking up three flights of stairs at 100 bpm. The Garmin Vivosmart HR+, Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Versa 2 met validity thresholds for walking down three flights of stairs at 100 bpm (see tables). CONCLUSION: Individuals who ascend and descend numerous stairs during their day may wish to consider the implications of these findings.

Keywords

Wearable technology; Fitness tracker; Activity tracker; Smartwatch; Smart watch; Health monitoring; Wearables; Fitness; Pedometer; Devices

Disciplines

Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation | Exercise Science | Sports Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

642 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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