Fitness tracker
[2] Improvements in computing technology since the 1980s, recently driven by the rapid advancement of smartphones, paved the way for the spread of wearable tracker devices with integrated sensors.
Large amount of sensitive sensor and user-input data is synced with mobile apps such as fitness, mood, sleep, water intake, medicine usage, sexual activity, menstruation, and potential illnesses.
[4] Improvements in technology in the late 20th and early 21st century made it possible to automate the recording of fitness activities, as well as to integrate monitors into more easily worn equipment.
By at least the early 2000s, wearable fitness tracking devices were available as consumer-grade electronics, including wireless heart rate monitors that could be connected to commercial-grade exercise machines in gyms.
[5][non sequitur] Fitness trackers later diversified to include wristbands and armbands (so-called smart bands) and smaller devices that could be clipped wherever preferred.
[16] Certain movements of the user can distort the results obtained from fitness trackers as seen in a test conducted by Stiftung Warentest where the products were unable to accurately track a bike ride.
[20] However, the results of a study among semi-professional (half-) marathon participants suggest that certain users are open to sharing tracked activity data voluntarily.
[22] In 2014, Jawbone developed a system called UP for Groups which could provide employers with aggregated data from employees' wearable fitness trackers and apps.
[26] Wearable sensors play a pivotal role in monitoring physiological parameters and enhancing fitness regimens through AI-driven feedback and the development of intelligent equipment.
[30] A device called the Fitbit Alta was used as the wristband for adolescents who are considered obese where their steps, distance, calories burned, activity time, and sleep rates were kept track of and downloaded by the researchers to analyze.
[30] The overall study found that societal and cultural factors were what affected adolescent obesity given that low-income minorities were at a higher risk given that they had limited access to weight management programs and resources.
[30] The tracking of steps and amount of physical activity allowed for one to be aware of their habits and lifestyle, but the access to weight loss programs varied for many, which is why the researchers utilized this information and used the technology to correlate behavioral aspects with the data to search for more solutions.
[31] Another systematic review covering 35 studies and 7454 participants, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that fitness trackers increased people's physical activity by an average of 1850 steps/day.
[35] Chest patches are used for measuring heart rate while the wristbands ("Chillbands") were used to track activity, where a correlation was seen in the HR levels and the involvement of circadian rhythm, stress, gender, and age.
[35] It was seen that detecting depression alone was challenging, causing a risk of misdiagnosis, but further research along with tracking of sleep, physical activity, mood changes, cognitive function, and social habits will help towards accurate measurements.
[37] Other fitness trackers are intended to monitor vital signs in the elderly, epileptics, and people with sleep disorders and alert a caregiver to a problem.
[19] When users sign up for these apps, they are usually led with an "at your own risk" warning in case any data gets leaked, which can contribute to more targeted ads and inaccurate predictions in their cycles.
