Five year pediatric use of a digital wearable fitness device: lessons from a pilot case study

Objectives: Wearable fitness devices are increasingly used by the general
population, with new applications being proposed and designed for healthy
adults as well as adults with chronic diseases. Fewer, if any, studies of
these devices have been conducted in healthy adolescents and teenagers,
especially over a long period of time. The goal of this work was to
document the successes and challenges involved in 5 years of a wearable
fitness device use in a pediatric case study. Materials and Methods:
Comparison of five years of step counts and minutes asleep from a teenaged
girl and her father. Results: At 60 months, this may be the longest
reported pediatric study involving a wearable fitness device, and the
first simultaneously involving a parent and a child. We find step counts
to be significantly higher for both the adult and teen on school/work
days, along with less sleep. The teen walked significantly less towards
the end of the 5 year study. Surprisingly, many of the adult’s and teen’s
sleeping and step counts were correlated, possibly due to coordinated
behaviors. Discussion: We end with several recommendations for
pediatricians and device manufacturers, including the need for constant
adjustments of stride length and calorie counts as teens are growing.
Conclusion: With periodic adjustments for growth, this pilot study shows
these devices can be used for more accurate and consistent measurements in
adolescents and teenagers over longer periods of time, to potentially
promote healthy behaviors.