Dataset Information

Consumer Perceptions of Wearable Technology Devices: Retrospective Review and Analysis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Individuals of all ages are becoming more health conscious, and wearable technology devices (eg, Fitbit and Apple Watch) are becoming increasingly popular in encouraging healthy lifestyles. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this paper was to explore how consumers use wearable devices. METHODS:A retrospective review was done on the top-rated verified purchase reviews of the Fitbit One posted on Amazon.com between January 2014 and August 2018. Relevant themes were identified by qualitatively analyzing open-ended reviews. RESULTS:On retrieval, there were 9369 reviews with 7706 positive reviews and 1663 critical reviews. The top 100 positive and top 100 critical comments were subsequently analyzed. Four major themes were identified: sleep hygiene ("charts when you actually fall asleep, when you wake up during the night, when you're restless--and gives you a cumulative time of "actual sleep" as well as weekly averages."), motivation ("25 lbs lost after 8 months - best motivator ever!"), accountability ("platform to connect with people you know and set little competitions or group…fun accountability if you set a goal with a friend/family."), and discretion ("able to be clipped to my bra without being seen."). Alternatively, negative reviewers felt that the wearable device's various tracking functions, specifically steps and sleep, were inaccurate. CONCLUSIONS:Wearable technology devices are an affordable, user-friendly application that can support all individuals throughout their everyday lives and potentially be implemented into medical surveillance, noninvasive medical care, and mobile health and wellness monitoring. This study is the first to explore wearable technology device use among consumers, and further studies are needed to examine the limitless possibilities of wearable devices in health care.

SUBMITTER: Chong KPL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7199133 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Consumer Perceptions of Wearable Technology Devices: Retrospective Review and Analysis.

Chong Kimberly P L KPL Guo Julia Z JZ Deng Xiaomeng X Woo Benjamin K P BKP

JMIR mHealth and uHealth 20200420 4

<h4>Background</h4>Individuals of all ages are becoming more health conscious, and wearable technology devices (eg, Fitbit and Apple Watch) are becoming increasingly popular in encouraging healthy lifestyles.<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of this paper was to explore how consumers use wearable devices.<h4>Methods</h4>A retrospective review was done on the top-rated verified purchase reviews of the Fitbit One posted on Amazon.com between January 2014 and August 2018. Relevant themes were identified by ...[more]

PMID: 32310148

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that, on average, people are sedentary for approximately 7.7 hours per day. There are deleterious effects of prolonged sedentary behavior that are separate from participation in physical activity and include increased risk of weight gain, cancer, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease. Previous trials have used wearable devices to increase physical activity in studies; however, additional research is needed to fully understand how this technology can be used to reduce sitting time. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of wearable devices as an intervention tool in a larger sedentary behavior study through a general inductive and deductive analysis of focus group discussions. METHODS:We conducted four focus groups with 15 participants to discuss 7 different wearable devices with sedentary behavior capabilities. Participants recruited for the focus groups had previously participated in a pilot intervention targeting sedentary behavior over a 3-week period and were knowledgeable about the challenges of reducing sitting time. During the focus groups, participants commented on the wearability, functionality, and feedback mechanism of each device and then identified their two favorite and two least favorite devices. Finally, participants designed and described their ideal or dream wearable device. Two researchers, who have expertise analyzing qualitative data, coded and analyzed the data from the focus groups. A thematic analysis approach using Dedoose software (SocioCultural Research Consultants, LLC version 7.5.9) guided the organization of themes that reflected participants' perspectives. RESULTS:Analysis resulted in 14 codes that we grouped into themes. Three themes emerged from our data: (1) features of the device, (2) data the device collected, and (3) how data are displayed. CONCLUSIONS:Current wearable devices for increasing physical activity are insufficient to intervene on sitting time. This was especially evident when participants voted, as several participants reported using a "process of elimination" as opposed to choosing favorites because none of the devices were ideal for reducing sitting time. To overcome the limitations in current devices, future wearable devices designed to reduce sitting time should include the following features: waterproof, long battery life, accuracy in measuring sitting time, real time feedback on progress toward sitting reduction goals, and flexible options for prompts to take breaks from sitting.

Project description:BackgroundThe range of benefits associated with regular physical activity participation is irrefutable. Despite the well-known benefits, physical inactivity remains one of the major contributing factors to ill-health throughout industrialized countries. Traditional lifestyle interventions such as group education or telephone counseling are effective at increasing physical activity participation; however, physical activity levels tend to decline over time. Consumer-based wearable activity trackers that allow users to objectively monitor activity levels are now widely available and may offer an alternative method for assisting individuals to remain physically active.ObjectiveThis review aimed to determine the effects of interventions utilizing consumer-based wearable activity trackers on physical activity participation and sedentary behavior when compared with interventions that do not utilize activity tracker feedback.MethodsA systematic review was performed searching the following databases for studies that included the use of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker to improve physical activity participation: Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus, and Health Technology Assessments. Controlled trials of adults comparing the use of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker with other nonactivity tracker-based interventions were included. The main outcome measures were physical activity participation and sedentary behavior. All studies were assessed for risk of bias, and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to rank the quality of evidence. The guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement were followed. A random-effects meta-analysis was completed on the included outcome measures to estimate the treatment effect of interventions that included an activity tracker compared with a control group.ResultsThere was a significant increase in daily step count (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.24; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.33; P<.001), moderate and vigorous physical activity (SMD 0.27; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.39; P<.001), and energy expenditure (SMD 0.28; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.54; P=.03) and a nonsignificant decrease in sedentary behavior (SMD -0.20; 95% CI -0.43 to 0.03; P=.08) following the intervention versus control comparator across all studies in the meta-analyses. In general, included studies were at low risk of bias, except for performance bias. Heterogeneity varied across the included meta-analyses ranging from low (I2=3%) for daily step count through to high (I2=67%) for sedentary behavior.ConclusionsUtilizing a consumer-based wearable activity tracker as either the primary component of an intervention or as part of a broader physical activity intervention has the potential to increase physical activity participation. As the effects of physical activity interventions are often short term, the inclusion of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker may provide an effective tool to assist health professionals to provide ongoing monitoring and support.

Dataset Information

Consumer Perceptions of Wearable Technology Devices: Retrospective Review and Analysis.

Publications

Consumer Perceptions of Wearable Technology Devices: Retrospective Review and Analysis.

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