When the incentive ended, they went back to their old habits.Įric Finkelstein, a Duke-NUS Medical School professor and the study’s co-author, says having a fitness tracker is like having a scale in the bathroom-it can be a helpful measurement tool, but it’s not a public health intervention in and of itself. Those with the charity option didn’t exercise any more than those without those with the cash option exercised slightly more, but not enough to affect health. The study also looked at the effect of incentives: For the first six months, some Fitbit wearers were offered cash or charity donations based on reaching a certain number of steps. That finding echoes previous research finding that half of all fitness tracker owners don’t use them. After a year, just 10 percent were still wearing the Fitbits. On average, those wearing Fitbits recorded a modest 16 more minutes of active physical activity than those without Fitbits, and no difference from the control group in health outcomes like weight or blood pressure. In a Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology study published Tuesday, researchers tracked 800 people over the course of a year-some with Fitbits worn around their waists, some without. The problem is, there is mounting evidence that when it comes to improving health, the trackers don’t work. “The notion you can give out a bunch of watches and suddenly people will get more active is just silly.”Īnd the need is clear: More than two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.
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