Research

Energy balance

Adding physiological measures such as heart rate to accelerometer data does not significantly improve the estimation of energy expenditure compared to using accelerometers alone.

If your goal is to track energy expenditure accurately, a standard accelerometer is likely sufficient. You do not need to invest in expensive multi-sensor devices that combine heart rate monitoring, as current evidence shows they do not significantly improve accuracy over accelerometers alone. Focus on consistent wear time rather than device complexity.

GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
So far, there is little evidence that adding other physiological measures such as heart rate significantly improves the estimation of energy expenditure.
Guy Plasqui et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2013

Why this rating

Based on a systematic review of 25 validation studies using Doubly Labeled Water (DLW) as the gold standard reference between 2007-2011.

Source

Daily physical activity assessment with accelerometers: new insights and validation studies

Guy Plasqui et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2013

DOI 10.1111/obr.12021

systematic_reviewCited 312×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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