Accuracy and Precision of Three Consumer-Grade Motion Sensors During Overground and Treadmill Walking in People With Parkinson Disease: Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.
Byron Lai, Jeffer E Sasaki, Brenda Jeng and 3 others
PMID 31944182WHAT IT FOUND
A waist-worn Fitbit One counted steps accurately during both overground and treadmill walking.
A wrist-worn Garmin was accurate overground but poor on the treadmill. The wrist-worn Fitbit Charge 2 HR was inaccurate for both. Handrail use worsened wrist-sensor readings.
Key findings
01The waist-worn Fitbit One provided accurate and precise step counts for both overground and treadmill walking.
02The wrist-worn Garmin Vivosmart 3 was accurate overground but showed noticeably worse estimates during treadmill walking.
03The wrist-worn Fitbit Charge 2 HR provided poor estimates of step counts during both walking conditions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Walking was performed under controlled conditions, so results may not reflect real-world factors like uneven terrain or weather. The study only tested walking at one comfortable speed, not at slow or fast paces. The gold standard was a single researcher manually counting steps, which could introduce human error. Participants were physically independent and could walk without assistive devices, so findings may not apply to those with more severe disability or balance deficits. The specific waist-worn device tested, Fitbit One, is no longer commercially available.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume all wrist-worn trackers are inaccurate. The Garmin Vivosmart 3 was accurate for overground walking but failed during treadmill walking, likely due to handrail use. The Fitbit Charge 2 HR was poor for both.