Changing the Physical Activity Behavior of Adults With Fitness Trackers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Published in: American Journal of Health Promotion Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 418 - 430
• Main Authors: Lynch, Chris, Bird, Stephen, Lythgo, Noel, Selva-Raj, Isaac
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2020; American Journal of Health Promotion
• Subjects: Alternatives; Behavior change; Clinical research; Clinical trials; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Extraction; Fitness Trackers - statistics & numerical data; Health Behavior; Health promotion; Health technology assessment; Humans; Intervention; Meta-analysis; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Systematic review; Telemedicine; mHealth; telemedicine; exercise; fitness trackers; wearable electronic devices
• ISSN: 0890-1171; 2168-6602
• DOI: 10.1177/0890117119895204

Objective: To examine whether a fitness tracker (FT) intervention changes physical activity (PA) behavior compared to a control condition or compared to an alternative intervention. Data Source: Searches between January 01, 2010, and January 01, 2019, were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: Randomized clinical trials of adults using an FT to change PA behavior were included. Nonclinical trials, studies that included the delivery of structured exercise, and/or studies that only used the FT to assess PA were excluded. Data Extraction: Extracted features included characteristics of the study population, intervention components, PA outcomes, and results. Data Synthesis: Papers were pooled in a statistical meta-analysis using a fixed effects model. Where statistical pooling was not possible, standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Findings were presented in a narrative form and tables. Results: Of 2076 articles found, 21 were included in the review. A small yet significant positive effect (SMD = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.17-0.32; P < .01; I2 = 56.9%; P = .03) was found in step count for interventions compared to control. A small yet significant negative effect (SMD = −0.11, 95% CI = −0.20 to −0.02; P = .02; I2 = 58.2%; P = 0.03) was found in moderate-to-vigorous PA for interventions compared to an alternative intervention. Conclusion: Trackers may enhance PA interventions, as a general positive effect is found in step count compared to a control. However, there is no evidence of a positive effect when interventions are compared to an alternative intervention. It is unknown whether results are due to other intervention components and/or clinical heterogeneity.