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 .
Effectiveness of an Activity Tracker- and Internet-Based Adaptive Walking Program for Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background The benefits of physical activity are well documented , but scalable programs to promote activity are needed . Interventions that assign tailored and dynamically adjusting goals could effect significant increases in physical activity but have not yet been implemented at scale . Objective Our aim was to examine the effectiveness of an open access , Internet-based walking program that assigns daily step goals tailored to each participant . Methods A two-arm , pragmatic r and omized controlled trial compared the intervention to no treatment .  Participants were recruited from a workplace setting and r and omized to a no-treatment control ( n=133 ) or to treatment ( n=132 ) . Treatment participants received a free wireless activity tracker and enrolled in the walking program , Walkadoo .  Assessment s were fully automated : activity tracker recorded primary outcomes ( steps ) without intervention by the participant or investigators . The two arms were compared on change in steps per day from baseline to follow-up ( after 6 weeks of treatment ) using a two-tailed independent sample s t test . Results Participants ( N=265 ) were 66.0 % ( 175/265 ) female with an average age of 39.9 years . Over half of the participants ( 142/265 , 53.6 % ) were sedentary ( < 5000 steps/day ) and 44.9 % ( 119/265 ) were low to somewhat active ( 5000 - 9999 steps/day ) . The intervention group significantly increased their steps by 970 steps/day over control ( P<.001 ) , with treatment effects observed in sedentary ( P=.04 ) and low-to-somewhat active ( P=.004 ) participants alike . Conclusions The program is effective in increasing daily steps .  Participants benefited from the program regardless of their initial activity level . A tailored , adaptive approach using wireless activity trackers is realistically implementable and scalable . Trial Registration Clinical trials.gov NCT02229409 , https:// clinical trials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02229409 ( Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6eiWCvBYe
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 .