The Validity of Select Physical Activity Tracking Devices During Varying Physical Activity Intensity Ranges and Modalities in Persons With and Without Type One Diabetes

The increased prevalence of sedentarism and hypokinetic diseases along with the strong supporting evidence of the effectiveness of PA interventions, has underscored the need for prescriptive PA participation intervention strategies. The success of these intervention strategies are dependent on the individuals physical and physiological attributes, level of motivation, ability to stay committed, and the ability to accurately quantify the PA that the individual is participating in, as they may need to meet specific energy expenditure (EE) thresholds. Thus, with the increasing demand of wearable technology and its novel uses, it is important to assess the accuracy of these physical activity (PA) tracking devices. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the validity of physical activity tracking devices, to differentiate PA intensities and modalities using heart rate (HR), breathing frequency (BR), and energy expenditure (EE), when compared to indirect calorimetry and a discrete component open circuit spirometry system. It is concluded that, despite the statistical significance compared to the criterion comparators, wearable technology that differentiates physical activity intensities and modalities is most promising and practically relevant for estimates of EE and HR. These findings may play an integral part in customizing primary disease prevention and secondary disease management PA prescriptions as well as, shine light on the novel uses of currently available body sensing technology. The results of this investigation aid in the understanding PA prescriptions, as well as, improve compliance to PA prescriptions, with a goal to enhance the PA intervention.