ADELAIDE, Australia — If you’ve been finding no motivation to get off the couch lately, new research from Australia says it may be worth investing in a fitness tracker, smartwatch or pedometer. Scientists from the University of Southern Australia report a link between wearable activity trackers, more exercise and weight loss.,More specifically, the study finds that these tracking devices encourage people to walk up to 40 minutes more per day (about 1,800 more steps). This results in an average weight loss of 2.2 pounds over the course of five months.,To examine this issue, the study authors reviewed nearly 400 studies involving 164,000 people around the world who had used wearable activity trackers (WATs) to monitor their physical activity.,All in all, what the research team discovered underscores the potentially huge advantage of low-cost interventions like fitness trackers when it comes to tackling the growing list of public health problems like obesity, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer and combat mental illness.,Lead researcher and UniSA graduate student Ty Ferguson explains that while fitness trackers are fairly popular, there is a lot of skepticism about their effectiveness, accuracy, and whether or not they contribute to unhealthy obsessive behavior and eating disorders. Overall, however, the researchers emphasize that the vast majority of evidence points to these devices being more beneficial than anything else.,“The overall results of the studies we reviewed show that wearable activity trackers are effective across all age groups and over long periods of time,” says Ferguson in a university publication. “They encourage people to exercise regularly, make it part of their routine, and set goals to lose weight.”,Losing 2.2 pounds over the course of five months may not sound like the best weight-loss plan in the world, but study authors state that when you consider overall public health across the population, it’s actually quite remarkable.,“Considering that these weren’t weight loss studies, but physical activity lifestyle studies, we wouldn’t expect dramatic weight loss,” adds study co-author UniSA Professor Carol Maher. “The average person gains about 0.5kg per year in weight gain, so losing 1kg in five months is significant, especially considering that two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese.”,One thing is certain: more and more people are using activity trackers. Between 2014 and 2020, the volume of these devices shipped worldwide increased by almost 1,500 percent. That equates to $2.8 billion spent globally in 2020 alone.,In addition to weight loss, wearing activity trackers has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes and those with other health conditions.,“The other reported benefit is that WATs improved depression and anxiety by increasing physical activity,” Ferguson concludes.,The study was published in
The Lancet Digital Health.,
ADELAIDE, Australia — If you’ve been finding no motivation to get off the couch lately, new research from Australia says it may be worth investing in a fitness tracker, smartwatch or pedometer. Scientists from the University of Southern Australia report a link between wearable activity trackers, more exercise and weight loss.
More specifically, the study finds that these tracking devices encourage people to walk up to 40 minutes more per day (about 1,800 more steps). This results in an average weight loss of 2.2 pounds over the course of five months.
To examine this issue, the study authors reviewed nearly 400 studies involving 164,000 people around the world who had used wearable activity trackers (WATs) to monitor their physical activity.
All in all, what the research team discovered underscores the potentially huge advantage of low-cost interventions like fitness trackers when it comes to tackling the growing list of public health problems like obesity, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer and combat mental illness.
Lead researcher and UniSA graduate student Ty Ferguson explains that while fitness trackers are fairly popular, there is a lot of skepticism about their effectiveness, accuracy, and whether or not they contribute to unhealthy obsessive behavior and eating disorders. Overall, however, the researchers emphasize that the vast majority of evidence points to these devices being more beneficial than anything else.
“The overall results of the studies we reviewed show that wearable activity trackers are effective across all age groups and over long periods of time,” says Ferguson in a university publication. “They encourage people to exercise regularly, make it part of their routine, and set goals to lose weight.”
Is it really worth losing 2 kilos?
Losing 2.2 pounds over the course of five months may not sound like the best weight-loss plan in the world, but study authors state that when you consider overall public health across the population, it’s actually quite remarkable.
“Considering that these weren’t weight loss studies, but physical activity lifestyle studies, we wouldn’t expect dramatic weight loss,” adds study co-author UniSA Professor Carol Maher. “The average person gains about 0.5kg per year in weight gain, so losing 1kg in five months is significant, especially considering that two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese.”
One thing is certain: more and more people are using activity trackers. Between 2014 and 2020, the volume of these devices shipped worldwide increased by almost 1,500 percent. That equates to $2.8 billion spent globally in 2020 alone.
In addition to weight loss, wearing activity trackers has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes and those with other health conditions.
“The other reported benefit is that WATs improved depression and anxiety by increasing physical activity,” Ferguson concludes.
The study was published in The Lancet Digital Health.
,The study was published in
The Lancet Digital Health.,
