Comparison of daily step count between the Fitbit Inspire 3 and the activPAL 3 in adults with transtibial amputation.
Kyle R Leister, Sara E Burke, Joon Young Kim and 2 others
PMID 38384680WHAT IT FOUND
The Fitbit Inspire 3 counted 1,094 more steps per day than the research-grade activPAL 3 in adults with transtibial amputation.
While the two devices correlated strongly, the difference was large enough to make them non-interchangeable for tracking free-living mobility.
Key findings
01The activPAL 3 recorded an average of 4,674 steps per day, while the Fitbit Inspire 3 recorded 5,768 steps per day.
02The mean difference between the two devices was 1,094 steps, with the Fitbit recording more steps.
03Statistical equivalence testing confirmed the devices were not equivalent because the confidence interval for the difference fell outside the acceptable range.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included adults with transtibial amputation, so these results do not apply to people with transfemoral or other levels of amputation. There was no direct observation or gold-standard count of steps to verify which device was actually more accurate; the study only compared the two devices against each other. The sample excluded individuals with other movement disorders, so the findings may not apply to patients with concurrent conditions like stroke or Parkinson's.
Declared interests
The research was supported by grant funding through the Bernard D. and Louise C. Rostker Institute for Veterans & Military Families Dissertation Research Fund. The authors declared financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the strong correlation (r = 0.93) means the devices are interchangeable. The Fitbit consistently counted 1,094 more steps per day than the activPAL, a difference large enough to invalidate direct comparisons between the two tools.