engleski

A comparison study of location and activity monitoring for exposure studies

The proliferation of smartphone applications (apps) and fitness monitors provides new and less expensive methods for tracking participant time-location-activity patterns in exposure studies. As part of the Health and Environment-wide Associations based on Large population Surveys (HEALS) project, this study examines the feasibility of using the Moves app and two commercially available fitness monitors – the Fitbit Flex and Activ8 – for tracking people’s location and activities. Four participants per city (Edinburgh and Zeist) wore these devices along with a GPS device and Actigraph for comparison for a week. A temperature logger was also worn to detect changes between indoor and outdoor conditions. A time-activity log was filled out on paper by participants for each day. A preliminary trial shows high correlation between two Fitbit devices and a lower correlation between Moves and Fitbit step counts. Moves enables both tracking of location and activity, but because it requires an individual to carry a phone at all times, tends to give lower step counts than Fitbit, which is worn on the wrist. Further analysis will compare the Moves, Fitbit, and Activ8 data with GPS and Actigraph data for participants in several European cities under varied climate conditions. This investigation will provide information on the utility of several commercial devices as modular add-ons to exposure studies.

time-activity; GPS

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