New research confirms wearable fitness trackers provide motivation to exercise

New research from the University of South Australia has endorsed the belief that fitness trackers, pedometers and smart watches motivate us to exercise more and lose weight

Wearable activity trackers encourage us to walk up to 40 minutes more each day (approximately 1800 more steps), resulting in an average 1kg weight loss over five months.

On average, most of us can comfortably walk 1,000 steps in ten minutes. This is probably faster than you would walk through a supermarket, but slower than if you were intentionally walking fast because you're late. At this pace, it will take you one hour and 40 minutes to walk 10,000 steps.

Researchers from the University of South Australia reviewed almost 400 studies involving 164,000 people across the world using wearable activity trackers (WATs) to monitor their physical activity.

Their findings, published in Lancet Digital Health today, underline the value of low-cost interventions to tackle a growing epidemic of health conditions partially caused by a lack of exercise, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancers, and mental illness.

Lead researcher UniSA PhD candidate Ty Ferguson says despite the popularity of WATs, there is widespread scepticism about their effectiveness, accuracy, and whether they fuel obsessive behaviours and eating disorders, but the evidence is overwhelmingly positive.

Ferguson notes “the overall results from the studies we reviewed shows that wearable activity trackers are effective across all age groups and for long periods of time.

“They encourage people to exercise on a regular basis, to make it part of their routine and to set goals to lose weight.”

The 1kg weight loss may not seem a lot, but researchers say from a public health perspective it is meaningful.

UniSA Professor Carol Maher, co-author of the review advises “bearing in mind these were not weight loss studies, but lifestyle physical activity studies, so we wouldn’t expect dramatic weight loss.

“The average person gains about 0.5 kg a year in weight creep so losing 1kg over five months is significant, especially when you consider that two thirds of Australians are overweight or obese.”

Between 2014 and 2020, the number of wearable activity trackers shipped worldwide increased by almost 1500%, translating to a global spend of $2.8 billion in 2020.

Apart from the extra physical activity and weight loss attributed to WATs, there is some evidence that fitness trackers also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and other health conditions.

Ferguson added “the other reported benefit is that WATs improved depression and anxiety through an increase in physical activity."