FitBit Increases Physical Activity among Postmenopausal Women
FitBit increases physical activity among postmenopausal women, a new study shows.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison found that physical activity tracker, FitBit is more effective in increasing activity level than traditional pedometers. FitBit is a fitness product that can be attached to clothing or worn on the wrist, and as a fitness product, the company of the same name that manufactures the product claims that the tracker can help you stay motivated and improve your health by tracking your activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep. It’s a wireless-enabled wearable device.
For the study, lead author Lisa A. Cadmus-Bertram and her team assigned 51 overweight postmenopausal women to a four-week self-monitoring activity which included walking 10,000 steps a day and getting 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week. Half the women were given the FitBit One tracker and were trained to use the device while the others were given a simple pedometer that measures the number of steps taken. All the women also wore an accelerometer on the hip during the study, as a uniform way of tracking movement for both groups.
Researchers found that women in the Fitbit group increased their weekly activity total by 38 minutes and added an average of 789 steps per week, while those in the pedometer group did not see any statistically significant improvement.
Despite the fact that even those in the FitBit group did not increase their activity level to the goal of 150 minutes per week, researchers say that the results are still encouraging. What makes such trackers effective is the fact that they provide frequent feedback, encourage users to set individualized goals and to review or revise those goals frequently and provide positive recognition when goals are attained. These are important to changing habits.
Category: News
