Adherence
Wearable activity trackers effectively increase daily physical activity, resulting in an average increase of 1800 steps per day and 40 minutes of walking per day across diverse populations.
Use a wearable activity tracker (pedometer, smartwatch, or fitness app) to increase your daily movement. The device acts as a tool for self-monitoring and goal setting. Evidence shows this intervention leads to an average increase of 1800 steps and 40 minutes of walking per day, regardless of whether you are healthy or have a chronic condition. The key is consistent wear and using the feedback to set goals.
Taken together, the meta-analyses suggested activity trackers improved physical activity (standardised mean difference [SMD] 0·3–0·6), equating to approximately 1800 extra steps per day, 40 min per day more walking... Activity trackers appear to be effective at increasing physical activity in a variety of age groups and clinical and non-clinical populations.
Why this rating
Umbrella review of 39 systematic reviews covering 163,992 participants, though most individual reviews were critically low confidence.
Source
Effectiveness of wearable activity trackers to increase physical activity and improve health: a systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Ty Ferguson et al. · The Lancet Digital Health · 2022
DOI 10.1016/s2589-7500(22)00111-x
More from this paper
- Wearable activity trackers lead to improvements in body composition, specifically bodyweight and waist circumference, with large effect sizes for bodyweight reduction.Moderate
- Wearable activity trackers have small or non-significant effects on physiological markers (blood pressure, cholesterol, glycosylated haemoglobin) and psychosocial outcomes (quality of life, pain).Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →