Inadequate physical activity is a major health hazard. As countries develop economically, due to changing transportation patterns, increased use of technology for work and entertainment, increased levels of sedentary behavior and inactivity. One startling finding is that among adolescents aged 11 to 19, physical activity declined by about 30% within a single generation period. Among adolescents, the decline in physical activity is directly related to an increase in the use of smartphones, tablets, video games and social media.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, between 2020 and 2030, about 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases due to physical inactivity, costing them $27 billion annually, if governments encourage does not take immediate action. more physical activity among their population. It is in this context that the impact of activity trackers on physical activity should be evaluated.
The global wearable activity-tracker market has witnessed tremendous growth. Worldwide sales of fitness trackers grew from $14 billion in 2017 to over $36 billion in 2020. Between 2014 and 2020, the number of wearable activity trackers shipped around the world increased by an estimated 1,444%. The skyrocketing success of these gadgets shows that more and more people see some importance in keeping track of the number of steps they take, the flight of stairs they climb, and the calories they burn. But have these activity trackers really changed individual behavior and made people more physically active?
A meta-analysis study, ‘Efficacy of wearable activity trackers for enhancing physical activity and improving health’ was recently published in The Lancet by Ty Ferguson and others. According to this report, activity trackers were found to improve physical activity, body composition and fitness. On average, people were taking about 1,800 extra steps per day, walking 40 minutes more per day and losing about 1 kg of body weight. Effects on other physiological (blood pressure, cholesterol and glycosylated hemoglobin) and psychosocial (quality of life and pain) outcomes were generally small and often non-significant. Activity trackers appear to be effective in increasing physical activity in all age groups. The benefits are clinically significant and have been sustained over time.
that’s good news. At a time when the overall behavioral trend was shifting toward physical inactivity, activity trackers have helped stem this tide, albeit only in a small way so far. The product is clearly emerging as a potential behavior-changing agent. Several steps are already being taken to integrate activity trackers with the health system. For example, healthcare providers such as medical therapists and physical therapists integrate wearables into their medical plans, and health insurance plans offer premium discounts to customers who use wearables. So the obvious next question will be about the next steps that can be taken to further enhance the behavior-changing ability of activity trackers.
Today, most activity trackers are doing a good job of setting clear daily goals. This goal setting exercise can lead to a higher level of commitment if health goals are set among a small group of people who are important to you. Commitments made to others that one cares about tend to adhere better than those made only to oneself. The desire to achieve these goals will be strong if they are emotional in nature. It’s one thing to set a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day, but when that goal is expressed as an effort to reduce 1cm around your waist and fit into your favorite outfit, for example, it’s It becomes even more suggestive than the motivation to receive.
The stage that determines the success or failure of activity trackers is not part of goal-setting when these goals are to be executed. When the morning wake-up alarm goes off, you’ll either go to sleep or wake up, put on your running shoes and start taking those much-needed steps. During the day, many opportunities will arise when your higher-order goals, offering delayed benefits, conflict with lower-order temptations that provide immediate benefits, such as an extra hour of sleep or reaching the office canteen. Don’t take the stairs. It is in these moments that the success or failure of the activity tracker is decided.
University of Chicago’s Christian Ove R. Academic work by Myersth and Aylett Fischbach and Yaakov Tropp of New York University reminds us that when faced with short-term temptations, individuals are able to actively employ self-control strategies to guide long-term behavior. There are. period interests. So one needs to identify these self-doubt moments and develop appropriate subtle messages, ideally those that act within milliseconds, to activate counter balancing mechanisms in our brains that reduce the pull of immediate rewards. can do. Once this process is repeated too many times, instant gratification will seem less valuable and even less attractive. Artificial intelligence can play an important role in synchronizing these subtle messages with the advent of ephemeral temptations.
In activity trackers, we have a cool thing. These gadgets have a great opportunity to transform from just a passive data provider to an active and useful tool for behavioral change. However, much has to be done for them to act as effective behavior-change agents.
Biju Dominic, Chief Evangelist, Fractal Analytics, and Chairman, FinalMile Consulting.
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