Research is showing that the effectiveness of computer, mobile and wearable technologies appears to be most prominent in the short-term and seems to lessen over time with a relatively high attrition rate.
Wearable technology began as something of a fad, then became distinctly trendy and now it’s everywhere. These days you can’t turn a corner without bumping into an activity tracking device (ATD) of some shape or colour.
Current research suggests that there is increasing potential for ATDs in the area of clinical lifestyle interventions. They can have a range of benefits, particularly in the area of behavioural change particularly in the area of reversing sedentary lifestyles, one of the leading indicators of increased mortality risk.
ATDs use a number of behavioural change techniques. Firstly, they encourage self-monitoring, a technique that is useful when trying to break subconscious and compulsive habits. Secondly, they allow the setting of objective and measurable goals. Lastly, they provide constant feedback on discrepancies between desired and actual behaviour.
More specifically, step-counting data has been shown to be particularly useful in relatively inactive populations because most activity levels are based on normal, routine, daily ambulatory activities. It’s well known that some people are intimidated by highly structured exercise programs but are much more amenable to setting moderate, step-count goals.
This can actually help to bridge the gap between a sedentary lifestyle and a regular exercise program that builds towards positive setting and achieving of goals for physical activity.
However, research is showing that the effectiveness of computer, mobile and wearable technologies appears to be most prominent in the short-term and seems to lessen over time with a relatively high attrition rate.
Current data is cautiously optimistic regarding the validity of some physiological variables monitored by activity trackers. A systematic review in 2015 explored a number of claimed physiological markers and found that the majority of ATD brands had high validity in tracking step count, but ranked more poorly when tracking energy expenditure and sleep patterns.
Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that ATDs offer a raft of benefits for the health practitioner.
They encourage patients to become active participants in their own self-care regimes, as well as offer real-time assessments of daily activity patterns. The use of ATDs shows promise in a range of clinical areas from post-surgery recovery in cardiac patients to pulmonary rehabilitation and activity counselling in diabetic patients.
They’re also highly effective in lifestyle interventions for cancer survivors. As these devices become more sophisticated and increasingly specific to patient requirements, there’s sure to be more promising results in the future.