CONCLUSIONS Utilizing a consumer-based wearable activity tracker as either the primary component of an intervention or as part of a broader physical activity intervention has the potential to increase physical activity participation .
BACKGROUND The range of benefits associated with regular physical activity participation is irrefutable .
Despite the well-known benefits , physical inactivity remains one of the major contributing factors to ill-health throughout industrialized countries .
Traditional lifestyle interventions such as group education or telephone counseling are effective at increasing physical activity participation ; however , physical activity levels tend to decline over time .
Consumer-based wearable activity trackers that allow users to objective ly monitor activity levels are now widely available and may offer an alternative method for assisting individuals to remain physically active .
OBJECTIVE This review aim ed to determine the effects of interventions utilizing consumer-based wearable activity trackers on physical activity participation and sedentary behavior when compared with interventions that do not utilize activity tracker feedback .
Evaluating the effectiveness of organisational-level strategies with or without an activity tracker to reduce office workers’ sitting time: a cluster-randomised trial
Background Office workers engage in high levels of sitting time . Effective , context -specific , and scalable strategies are needed to support widespread sitting reduction . This study aim ed to evaluate organisational-support strategies alone or in combination with an activity tracker to reduce sitting in office workers . Methods From one organisation , 153 desk-based office workers were cluster-r and omised ( by team ) to organisational support only ( e.g. , manager support , emails ; ‘ Group ORG ’ , 9 teams , 87 participants ) , or organisational support plus LUMOback activity tracker ( ‘ Group ORG + Tracker ’ , 9 teams , 66 participants ) . The waist-worn tracker provided real-time feedback and prompts on sitting and posture . ActivPAL3 monitors were used to ascertain primary outcomes ( sitting time during work- and overall hours ) and other activity outcomes : prolonged sitting time ( ≥30 min bouts ) , time between sitting bouts , st and ing time , stepping time , and number of steps . Health and work outcomes were assessed by question naire . Changes within each group ( three- and 12 months ) and differences between groups were analysed by linear mixed models . Missing data were multiply imputed . Results At baseline , participants ( 46 % women , 23–58 years ) spent ( mean ± SD ) 74.3 ± 9.7 % of their workday sitting , 17.5 ± 8.3 % st and ing and 8.1 ± 2.7 % stepping . Significant ( p < 0.05 ) reductions in sitting time ( both work and overall ) were observed within both groups , but only at 12 months . For secondary activity outcomes , Group ORG significantly improved in work prolonged sitting , time between sitting bouts and st and ing time , and overall prolonged sitting time ( 12 months ) , and in overall st and ing time ( three- and 12 months ) ; while Group ORG + Tracker , significantly improved in work prolonged sitting , st and ing , stepping and overall st and ing time ( 12 months ) . Adjusted for confounders , the only significant between-group differences were a greater stepping time and step count for Group ORG + Tracker relative to Group ORG ( + 20.6 min/16 h day , 95 % CI : 3.1 , 38.1 , p = 0.021 ; + 846.5steps/16 h day , 95 % CI : 67.8 , 1625.2 , p = 0.033 ) at 12 months . Observed changes in health and work outcomes were small and not statistically significant . Conclusions Organisational-support strategies with or without an activity tracker result ed in improvements in sitting , prolonged sitting and st and ing ; adding a tracker enhanced stepping changes . Improvements were most evident at 12 months , suggesting the organisational-support strategies may have taken time to embed within the organisation . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trial Registry : ACTRN12614000252617 . Registered 10 March 2014
CONCLUSIONS Utilizing a consumer-based wearable activity tracker as either the primary component of an intervention or as part of a broader physical activity intervention has the potential to increase physical activity participation .
BACKGROUND The range of benefits associated with regular physical activity participation is irrefutable .
Despite the well-known benefits , physical inactivity remains one of the major contributing factors to ill-health throughout industrialized countries .
Traditional lifestyle interventions such as group education or telephone counseling are effective at increasing physical activity participation ; however , physical activity levels tend to decline over time .
Consumer-based wearable activity trackers that allow users to objective ly monitor activity levels are now widely available and may offer an alternative method for assisting individuals to remain physically active .
OBJECTIVE This review aim ed to determine the effects of interventions utilizing consumer-based wearable activity trackers on physical activity participation and sedentary behavior when compared with interventions that do not utilize activity tracker feedback .