The Accuracy of Heart Rate Monitoring by Some Wrist-Worn Activity Trackers
Authors: Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, Ronald Gangnon, Emily J. Wirkus, Keith M. Thraen-Borowski, Jessica Gorzelitz-Liebhauser
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Letters18 April 2017The Accuracy of Heart Rate Monitoring by Some Wrist-Worn Activity TrackersLisa Cadmus-Bertram, PhD, Ronald Gangnon, PhD, Emily J. Wirkus, MPH, Keith M. Thraen-Borowski, PhD, and Jessica Gorzelitz-Liebhauser, MSLisa Cadmus-Bertram, PhDFrom University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin., Ronald Gangnon, PhDFrom University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin., Emily J. Wirkus, MPHFrom University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin., Keith M. Thraen-Borowski, PhDFrom University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin., and Jessica Gorzelitz-Liebhauser, MSFrom University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L16-0353 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Activity trackers may motivate persons to engage in healthy behaviors. They are also used in research and may help manage chronic conditions related to lifestyle (1). New devices have emerged as alternatives to traditional heart rate trackers, which require a separate chest strap. One type is a wrist-worn tracker with a light-emitting diode (LED). It measures the heart rate from tiny changes in skin blood volume by using light reflected from the skin. These new devices are unobtrusive and appropriate for continuous, long-term wear. Although previous studies have shown that they are generally accurate for measuring the number of ...References1. Bassett DR. Device-based monitoring in physical activity and public health research. Physiol Meas. 2012;33:1769-83. [PMID: 23110847] doi:10.1088/0967-3334/33/11/1769 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Evenson KR, Goto MM, Furberg RD. Systematic review of the validity and reliability of consumer-wearable activity trackers. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12:159. [PMID: 26684758] doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0314-1 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Wallen MP, Gomersall SR, Keating SE, Wisløff U, Coombes JS. Accuracy of heart rate watches: implications for weight management. PLoS One. 2016;11:e0154420. [PMID: 27232714] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154420 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wang R, Blackburn G, Desai M, Phelan D, Gillinov L, Houghtaling P, et al. Accuracy of wrist-worn heart rate monitors. JAMA Cardiol. 2017;2:104-6. [PMID: 27732703] doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2016.3340 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Carstensen B, Simpson J, Gurrin LC. Statistical models for assessing agreement in method comparison studies with replicate measurements. Int J Biostat. 2008;4:Article 16. [PMID: 22462118] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa; University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L16-0353.This article was published at Annals.org on 11 April 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAccuracy of Heart Rate Monitoring by Some Wrist-Worn Activity Trackers Lisa Cadmus-Bertram , Ronald Gangnon , Emily J. Wirkus , Keith M. 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Sittig, PhDWearable Heart Rate Monitor Technology Accuracy in Research: A Comparative Study Between PPG and ECG Technology 18 April 2017Volume 166, Issue 8Page: 610-612KeywordsBlood volumeBody mass indexClinical trialsConflicts of interestDisclosureElectrocardiographyExerciseHeart rateLongitudinal studiesThorax ePublished: 11 April 2017 Issue Published: 18 April 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...