A recent study published in Springer Link reports that smartwatches and fitness trackers are lying to you and not all measurements are as accurate as you think.
A recent study by Cailbhe Doherty, Maximus Baldwin, Alison Keogh, Brian Caulfeld and Rob Argent, reminds wearable users that their health and fitness tracking data is not yet accurate, so you can trust it.
More and more people are replacing their simple watches with smart watches, with the aim of additionally seeing their health monitoring and statistics. So do trackers that appeal to those who exercise and want to know their fitness levels.
However, it is important to remember that wearables are meant to guide users and not provide accurate medical data. A recent study by Cailbhe Doherty, Maximus Baldwin, Alison Keogh, Brian Caulfeld and Rob Argent reminds wearable users that their health and fitness tracking data is not yet accurate enough to be trusted.
Out of a huge list of indicators and metrics that smartwatches provide you with, there are only two facts you can rely on:
- Your heart rate measurement, provided with an accuracy of 3% and at the same time heart rate variability as well as possible signs of arrhythmia can be reliably recorded.
- And cardiorespiratory fitness, commonly referred to as VO2 max on your device. That is, the oxygen measurements in your blood.
On the other hand, the study found much less accuracy regarding calorie data with about 15 to 21% inaccuracy. Calories burned is a measurement most often used by those who constantly monitor their weight, and the wrong data used can have negative consequences.
Also, the study found that measurements of your sleep time and sleep efficiency were inaccurate by around 10%, and sleep latency can be as inaccurate as 180% when comparing wearables to polysomnography.
We are not talking about blood pressure which can be completely off the mark and far from reality.
In short, wearables are imperfect tools. While companies continue to improve their capabilities, they still provide health and fitness data that is not medically validated.
Because if they were, then you would be wearing such a watch when you were admitted to a hospital.
However, when used with care, smartwatches and fitness trackers are fantastic health companions as they can alert their wearer to a big difference in their health status.
