Mobile Apps to Quantify Aspects of Physical Activity: a Systematic Review on its Reliability and Validity

Silva, Ana; Simões, Patrícia; Queirós, Alexandra; Rodrigues, Mário; Rocha, Nelson Pacheco da

doi:10.1007/s10916-019-1506-z

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In a systematic review of mobile apps to quantify aspects of physical activity, 20% (5/25) of the studies investigated the validity of mobile apps when measuring distance using GNSS information [ 6 ]. Mean percentage errors ranged between 2% and 10%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy of Distance Recordings in Eight Positioning-Enabled Sport Watches: Instrument Validation Study

Gilgen-Ammann¹,

Schweizer²,

Wyss³

2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Elite athletes and recreational runners rely on the accuracy of global navigation satellite system (GNSS)–enabled sport watches to monitor and regulate training activities. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence regarding the accuracy of such sport watches. Objective The aim was to investigate the accuracy of the recorded distances obtained by eight commercially available sport watches by Apple, Coros, Garmin, Polar, and Suunto when assessed in different areas and at different speeds. Furthermore, potential parameters that affect the measurement quality were evaluated. Methods Altogether, 3 × 12 measurements in urban, forest, and track and field areas were obtained while walking, running, and cycling under various outdoor conditions. Results The selected reference distances ranged from 404.0 m to 4296.9 m. For all the measurement areas combined, the recorded systematic errors (±limits of agreements) ranged between 3.7 (±195.6) m and –101.0 (±231.3) m, and the mean absolute percentage errors ranged from 3.2% to 6.1%. Only the GNSS receivers from Polar showed overall errors <5%. Generally, the recorded distances were significantly underestimated (all P values <.04) and less accurate in the urban and forest areas, whereas they were overestimated but with good accuracy in 75% (6/8) of the sport watches in the track and field area. Furthermore, the data assessed during running showed significantly higher error rates in most devices compared with the walking and cycling activities. Conclusions The recorded distances might be underestimated by up to 9%. However, the use of all investigated sport watches can be recommended, especially for distance recordings in open areas.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy of Distance Recordings in Eight Positioning-Enabled Sport Watches: Instrument Validation Study

Gilgen-Ammann¹,

Schweizer²,

Wyss³

2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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“…The creation of more precise and nuanced behavioral digital phenotypes is not only important but also very timely [ 3 ]. In particular, physical activity level monitoring has applications in a variety of medical areas [ 4 ]. For example, in psychiatry, activity monitoring can be used to assess and to detect changes in depression severity [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Augmented Movelet Method for Activity Classification Using Smartphone Gyroscope and Accelerometer Data

Huang

Onnela

2020

Sensors

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Physical activity, such as walking and ascending stairs, is commonly used in biomedical settings as an outcome or covariate. Researchers have traditionally relied on surveys to quantify activity levels of subjects in both research and clinical settings, but surveys are subjective in nature and have known limitations, such as recall bias. Smartphones provide an opportunity for unobtrusive objective measurement of physical activity in naturalistic settings, but their data tends to be noisy and needs to be analyzed with care. We explored the potential of smartphone accelerometer and gyroscope data to distinguish between walking, sitting, standing, ascending stairs, and descending stairs. We conducted a study in which four participants followed a study protocol and performed a sequence of activities with one phone in their front pocket and another phone in their back pocket. The subjects were filmed throughout, and the obtained footage was annotated to establish moment-by-moment ground truth activity. We introduce a modified version of the so-called movelet method to classify activity type and to quantify the uncertainty present in that classification. Our results demonstrate the promise of smartphones for activity recognition in naturalistic settings, but they also highlight challenges in this field of research.

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“…However, the patients faced some major problems and uncertainties, such as questions on the optimal usage and the price of specific apps; they doubted the validity of the information delivered and questioned issues of security and privacy [ 27 ]. Studies found that mobile apps can give conflicting information, and the source of recommendation is often unclear and insufficient, and therefore they are often used as complementary to evidence-based information [ 28 , 29 ]. Therefore, women’s perception regarding books might be more valid and evidence-based as compared to preconceptions regarding mobile apps [ 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Media Use and Preferences of Media-Based Interventions on Lifestyle-Related Risk Factors in Gynecological and Obstetric Care: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study in Germany

Bombana

Wittek

Müller

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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This study aimed to investigate factors affecting (1) women’s media use regarding health-related behaviors during pregnancy and lactation, (2) women’s preferences for media format, and (3) the content of media-based interventions on lifestyle-related risk factors during pregnancy and lactation. A cross-sectional observational multi-center study of pregnant and lactating women and women of childbearing age was carried out in 14 randomly selected obstetric and gynecologic care settings in the 12 most populated cities in Baden-Wuerttemberg, South-West Germany. Data from 219 surveyed women showed that older women, pregnant women, and lactating women have a higher probability of using media during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. The majority of women preferred a combination of analog and digital media-based interventions in gynecological (46.9%) and obstetric (47.1%) care settings and at home (73.0%). Women would like to see information brochures and flyers on health-related behaviors during pregnancy and lactation for use in gynecological and obstetric care settings, and for media use at home, they would like to have books. The probability of preferring the favored media formats in gynecological and obstetric care settings and at home were associated with pregnancy status, relationship status, socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and health insurance status. About 80% of the surveyed women preferred media content regarding recommendations for a healthy lifestyle and healthy behavior during pregnancy and lactation. All of the independent variables were associated with the probability of preferring a specific media content. The SES was found to play a major role in the probability of preferring a specific media content, followed by pregnancy status, ethnicity, and health insurance status. The results from our study provide a basis for tailored preventive interventions in gynecological and obstetric care settings and for use at home. The results imply that a woman can be reached before conception, during pregnancy, or during lactation with preventive measures tailored to their requirements; however, acceptance may vary across personal attributes, such as SES, ethnicity, and others.

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Mobile Apps to Quantify Aspects of Physical Activity: a Systematic Review on its Reliability and Validity

Cited by 27 publications

References 45 publications

Accuracy of Distance Recordings in Eight Positioning-Enabled Sport Watches: Instrument Validation Study

Accuracy of Distance Recordings in Eight Positioning-Enabled Sport Watches: Instrument Validation Study

Augmented Movelet Method for Activity Classification Using Smartphone Gyroscope and Accelerometer Data

Women’s Media Use and Preferences of Media-Based Interventions on Lifestyle-Related Risk Factors in Gynecological and Obstetric Care: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study in Germany

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