View
comments
They were written off by many as just another fitness fad.
But a new review has found wearable activity devices like Fitbits and Apple watches really can make people more active.
Researchers examined the results of over 100 randomised trials of wearable tracking gadgets, involving nearly 17,000 adults over the past decade.
Overall, people who wear monitors take an extra 1,200 steps each day and complete nearly 50 minutes more of exercise per week, the results suggested.
The devices monitor things like step-count and heart rate to motivate their wearers to meet daily fitness goals or improve their performance.
Publishing their findings in the BMJ, academics from the University of Copenhagen described the daily activity increases as 'small to moderate'.
But they said that the devices could still be useful over longer periods of time, given that most adults don't meet recommended activity levels.
Writing in the paper, they claimed their study 'provides evidence for using physical activity monitors for enhancing physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity at a time when large, feasible, and scalable interventions are urgently needed'.
A study has found physical activity devices encourage people to do nearly 50 minutes of extra moderate to vigorous exercise per week
The NHS recommends adults complete 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week to improve their health, and in particular, reduce their chances of heart disease or a stroke.
But, Government estimates show only 67 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women in England meet this two-and-a-half-hours of exercise a week target.
The Danish researchers said they were compelled to review the available data after reading mixed reviews about their effectiveness in previous research.
They examined the results of 121 randomised trials of the devices which involved a total of 16,743 adults
