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Thinking of using an activity tracker to achieve your exercise goals? Here’s where it can help – and where it probably won’t

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/corneel-vandelanotte-209636">Corneel Vandelanotte</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> It’s that time of year when many people are getting started on their resolutions for the year ahead. Doing more physical activity is a popular and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-016-0175-5">worthwhile</a> goal. If you’re hoping to be more active in 2024, perhaps you’ve invested in an activity tracker, or you’re considering buying one. But what are the benefits of activity trackers? And will a basic tracker do the trick, or do you need a fancy one with lots of features? Let’s take a look. <h2>Why use an activity tracker?</h2> One of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01001-x">most powerful predictors</a> for being active is whether or not <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673621026301">you are monitoring</a> how active you are. Most people have a vague idea of how active they are, but this is inaccurate a lot of the time. Once people consciously start to keep track of how much activity they do, they often realise it’s less than what they thought, and this motivates them to be more active. You can self-monitor without an activity tracker (just by writing down what you do), but this method is hard to keep up in the long run and it’s also a lot less accurate compared to devices that track your every move 24/7. By tracking steps or “activity minutes” you can ascertain whether or not you are meeting the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians/for-adults-18-to-64-years">physical activity guidelines</a> (150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week). It also allows you to track how you’re progressing with any personal activity goals, and view your progress over time. All this would be difficult without an activity tracker. Research has shown the most popular brands of activity trackers are generally reliable when it comes to tracking basic measures such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/18694">steps</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jmpb.2019-0072">activity minutes</a>. <h2>But wait, there’s more</h2> Many activity trackers on the market nowadays track a range of other measures which their manufacturers promote as important in monitoring health and fitness. But is this really the case? Let’s look at some of these. Resting heart rate This is your heart rate at rest, which is normally somewhere <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/resting-heart-rate">between 60 and 100 beats per minute</a>. Your resting heart rate will gradually go down as you become fitter, especially if you’re doing a lot of high-intensity exercise. Your risk of dying of any cause (all-cause mortality) is much lower when you have a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28552551/">low resting heart rate</a>. So, it is useful to keep an eye on your resting heart rate. Activity trackers are pretty good at tracking it, but you can also easily measure your heart rate by monitoring your pulse and using a stopwatch. Heart rate during exercise Activity trackers will also measure your heart rate when you’re active. To improve fitness efficiently, professional athletes focus on having their heart rate in certain “<a href="https://chhs.source.colostate.edu/how-to-target-heart-rate-training-zones-effectively/">zones</a>” when they’re exercising – so knowing their heart rate during exercise is important. But if you just want to be more active and healthier, without a specific training goal in mind, you can exercise at a level that feels good to you and not worry about your heart rate during activity. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/HCO.0000000000000437">most important thing</a> is that you’re being active. Also, a dedicated heart rate monitor with a strap around your chest will do a much better job at measuring your actual heart rate <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-0226-6">compared</a> to an activity tracker worn around your wrist. Maximal heart rate This is the hardest your heart could beat when you’re active, not something you could sustain very long. Your maximal heart rate is not influenced by how much exercise you do, or your fitness level. Most activity trackers <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/article-abstract/2566167">don’t measure it accurately</a> anyway, so you might as well forget about this one. VO₂max Your muscles need oxygen to work. The more oxygen your body can process, the harder you can work, and therefore the fitter you are. VO₂max is the volume (V) of oxygen (O₂) we could breathe maximally (max) over a one minute interval, expressed as millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min). Inactive women and men would have a VO₂max lower than 30 and 40 ml/kg/min, respectively. A reasonably good VO₂max would be mid thirties and higher for women and mid forties and higher for men. VO₂max is another measure of fitness that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605">correlates well</a> with all-cause mortality: the higher it is, the lower your risk of dying. For athletes, VO₂max is usually measured in a lab on a treadmill while wearing a mask that measures oxygen consumption. Activity trackers instead look at your running speed (using a GPS chip) and your heart rate and compare these measures to values from other people. If you can run fast with a low heart rate your tracker will assume you are relatively fit, resulting in a higher VO₂max. These estimates are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01639-y">not very accurate</a> as they are based on lots of assumptions. However, the error of the measurement is reasonably consistent. This means if your VO₂max is gradually increasing, you are likely to be getting fitter. So what’s the take-home message? Focus on how many steps you take every day or the number of activity minutes you achieve. Even a basic activity tracker will measure these factors relatively accurately. There is no real need to track other measures and pay more for an activity tracker that records them, unless you are getting really serious about exercise.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219235/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/corneel-vandelanotte-209636">Corneel Vandelanotte</a>, Professorial Research Fellow: Physical Activity and Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-of-using-an-activity-tracker-to-achieve-your-exercise-goals-heres-where-it-can-help-and-where-it-probably-wont-219235">original article</a>.

Body

Clothes women wanted to wear: a new exhibition explores how Carla Zampatti saw her designs as a tracker of feminism

The late Carla Zampatti is celebrated in a splendid retrospective Zampatti Powerhouse at the Powerhouse Museum. Planned well before the fashion designer’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-carla-zampatti-pioneered-wearable-yet-cosmopolitan-clothes-for-women-and-became-a-fashion-icon-158377">untimely death</a> last year, the unveiling of her legacy will be bittersweet to her many fans. Zampatti is often referred to as “Carla” by friends and those who worked for her, rather than her brand name, Carla Zampatti. Here, the simple name “Zampatti” removes the emphasis from Zampatti as designer to a simpler assertion: businesswoman, mother, philanthropist-entrepreneur. It is a move as deft and elegant as the rest of the exhibition choices. In one of the best-looking fashion exhibition designs Australia has seen, creative director Tony Assness serves up a dynamic vision of clothes punctuated by a vibrant red (one of Zampatti’s favourite design choices) that encourages excitement and discovery. Clothes are arranged by themes – jumpsuit, jungle, graphic, blouson, power – rather than date. Curator Roger Leong leverages his years of experience to do a relatively new thing for Australian museums: tell the stories of clothes through the stories of women who wore them. <h2>A migrant story</h2> Zampatti’s story is an Australian migrant story. Born Maria Zampatti in Italy in 1938 (not 1942, as is often believed), she did not meet her father, who had migrated to Fremantle, until she was 11. In Australia, she was forced to change her name to Mary. It was claimed the other kids could not pronounce Maria. She did not finish school. When she moved to Sydney in her late 20s, she reinvented herself as Carla. The fashion business started on a kitchen table in 1965 under the label ZamPAtti. By 1970, Carla had bought out her business partner husband, and was sole owner of Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. Zampatti flourished in fashion. She had a finger on the pulse, was in the right place at the right time, and knew a more glamorous role was possible for a fashion designer than the industry “rag trader”. In the 1970s, the markets suggested that the ultra-expensive haute couture was about to disappear, to be replaced by informal ranges created by a new type of designer often called a “stylist”. It was the decade of flower power, retro dressing and ethnic borrowings. Until the 1960s, fashion had been dominated by the rise of haute couture and the “dictator-designer” system – mainly men who determined hem lengths and silhouettes for women. But in 1973, the French body governing high fashion added a new layer of designers, créateurs (literally “creators” or designers), who produced only ready-to-wear. In 1972 Zampatti opened her first Sydney boutique, inspired by informal shops she had seen in St Tropez. Zampatti offered women bright jumpsuits, art deco looks and peasant-inspired ease. She aimed to provide women clothes they wanted to wear. She draped the cloth and colours on herself. Like many women designers historically, she was alert to how her clothes made women customers look and feel. Zampatti remained the fit model for the whole range and would not produce anything in which she did not look and feel well. Zampatti saw her “clothes as a tracker of feminism”. The 1980s cemented Zampatti’s rise to prominence. She became a household name, even designing a car for women. In this time, personal expression became more important than unified looks dictated by designers. Zampatti’s Australian designing coincided with a new development in Italy: the stylisti. Small, focused family businesses alert to the zeitgeist and understanding quality flourished. It was an approach that emphasised quality and glamour. Zampatti identified talent. She employed well-known couturier Beril Jents on the shop floor after she had fallen on hard times. She then employed Jents to improve the cut of her designs. Zampatti continued to embrace the services of stylists and other designers including Romance was Born, whom she recognised could take her work to the next level. <h2>The stories of clothes</h2> Worn equally by politicians and their circles on the right and the left, Zampatti injected more than power dressing into women’s wardrobes. She inspired a sense that women wore the clothes, not the clothes them. In this exhibition we are given many examples, from Linda Burney’s red pantsuit worn for her parliamentary portrait to a gown worn by Jennifer Morrison to the White House. The exhibition viewer can turn from serried ranks of brilliantly styled mannequins and enter large “listening pods”, screening brilliantly edited videos in the manner of artist Bill Viola. The women, who include Dame Quentin Bryce and Ita Buttrose, discuss the creative mind of Zampatti or reflect on their own Zampatti wardrobe. They are amongst the best such “talking heads” I have seen in a museum. Like many designers, Zampatti was not that interested in her own past. She did not keep substantial archives and records, which is a testament to the skills demonstrated by the museum in bringing us this show. Zampatti never turned her back on her personal story, but she was a futurist, one who looked forward rather than backward. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/clothes-women-wanted-to-wear-a-new-exhibition-explores-how-carla-zampatti-saw-her-designs-as-a-tracker-of-feminism-194040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Beauty & Style

Do fitness trackers really work?

Fitness trackers are the big accessory of the moment, with figures suggesting one in five people wear some form of wearable technology. These nifty devices say they track everything from steps to calories burnt to sleep, but do they actually work? Research into the market shows that 50 per cent of people stop using their wearable device within a year. And the people who are most likely to benefit from the trackers anyway are people who are already obsessed with their fitness. "Those individuals tend to be able to take this data and literally run with it," said Dr Mitesh Patel, an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Healthcare Management at the University of Pennsylvania. "Whereas the people who have chronic conditions or are obese or have diabetes, for those folks giving a device is often not enough." Dr Patel said for the devices to be really worth their price tag they need to be paired with "effective behaviour change strategies" in order for people to improve their health. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Are your grandkids safe? It’s far too easy for abusers to exploit smart toys and trackers

The wearable technology market is booming, with <a href="https://news.strategyanalytics.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2021/Strategy-Analytics-Half-Billion-Wearables-Sold-Worldwide-in-2020/default.aspx">half a billion wearables</a> sold globally in 2020. Apps on these devices, or the devices themselves, often claim to monitor our health to spot illnesses, track our workouts to help us reach our fitness goals, or keep an eye on our children’s whereabouts to enhance their safety. But they’re also divisive. Supporters of wearable technology claim that health trackers should be <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-nhs-should-prescribe-wearable-fitness-trackers-60817">prescribed by the NHS</a> and could even deliver an <a href="https://theconversation.com/wearable-fitness-devices-deliver-early-warning-of-possible-covid-19-infection-143388">early warning</a> of a possible COVID-19 infection. GPS tracking devices designed to be worn by children, meanwhile, are seen as a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-04/digitally-tracking-kids-more-parents-use-devices/10957906">safety asset</a> for parents. Yet studies have found fitness trackers to be too <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-fitness-trackers-may-not-give-you-all-the-credit-you-hoped-for-128585">inaccurate</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-fitness-trackers-make-you-fitter-52404">misleading</a> to be used by <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/08/14/how-doctors-really-feel-data-your-apple-watch-fitbit/1900968001/">medical professionals</a>, and that, because they’ve been rushed to market, wearables of all kinds are an insecure “<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-health-apps-are-like-the-wild-west-with-apple-just-riding-into-town-103512">Wild West</a>” region of technology that requires urgent regulation. In <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/978692/The_UK_code_of_practice_for_consumer_IoT_security_-_PETRAS_UCL_research_report.pdf">a recent report</a>, we looked at the security risks associated with wearable devices, as well as “smart toys” that can record children in their homes. We found a concerning lack of security – especially for devices aimed at children – which lack even the most basic cybersecurity precautions, leaving them open to abuse. Fitness trackers and personal data One key issue with wearables is the data they generate and share. For instance, many fitness trackers rely on data on a person’s location to map their workouts. That’s great if you’re keen to track the distance of your jogs, but it’s not especially sensible if you’re embarking on those jogs <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-42853072">from a military base</a> in hostile territory. Beyond that specific example, which caused some embarrassment for the US military in 2018, it’s clear that sharing your location publicly, even in a safe civilian setting, comes with significant risks. And it’s not just the real-time tracking of your running route that could expose your whereabouts. Because these trackers upload your workouts to an app and share them publicly, it’s possible for predators to use historic running, biking or hiking routes to predict where you might be at a given time. This safety issue isn’t only restricted to workouts. Even something as innocuous as <a href="https://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/terms-and-conditions-privacy-policy-765">sharing a photo through your Apple watch</a> can give away your geolocation. Are trackers safe for children? Even more concerning are devices designed to be worn by children, sales of which are expected to reach <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/global-kids-smartwatch-market-valued-at-364-3-million-us-in-2018-and-will-reach-873-5-million-us-by-the-end-of-2025-at-a-cagr-of-13-19-between-2019-2025-valuates-reports-814713277.html">$875 million (£620 million)</a> by 2025. These watches are marketed as wearable tech to keep kids safe, tracking their location and alerting parents when the watch’s onboard “SOS” button is pressed – or if the child travels beyond a geofenced area. Smart watches as safety devices on children’s wrists may sound like a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wearable-gps-tracking-for-children-to-ease-parents-minds/">boon for anxious parents</a>, but a <a href="https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/watchout-rapport-october-2017.pdf">2017 survey</a> of children’s smart watches found that the all-important “SOS” button either got stuck or didn’t work at all in most cases. Additionally, flaws in some smart watches’ accompanying apps have raised <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/11/which-tests-for-security-flaws-in-kids-smartwatches/">serious safety concerns</a>. <a href="https://consumerfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/smart-watch-security-assessment.pdf">Security researchers</a> have found they could not only easily access children’s historical route data – like their path to and from school – and monitor their geolocation in real time, but they could also speak directly to the child, through the watch, without the call being reported in the parent’s app. Connected toys Fears that internet of things devices can give people unauthorised access to children also extend to <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-ways-internet-of-things-toys-endanger-children-94092">the “smart toy” market</a>. Some of these toys contain hidden cameras and microphones which, if hacked, could be used to record the interior of your home, including children’s rooms. In 2017, German regulators recognised this danger by <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39002142">banning the sale</a> of the Cayla “smart doll”, labelling it as the kind of “de facto espionage device” that Germany’s <a href="https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/EN/2017/17022017_cayla.html">Telecommunications Act</a> legislates against. In an unusual and unsettling move, the regulator went further by asking parents who’d bought one to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-regulator-tells-parents-to-destroy-spy-doll-cayla/a-37601577">destroy the doll</a> to prevent illicit surveillance. Even if the manufacturers of smart toys and children’s smart watches can guarantee far better security than that which led to the Cayla ban, there remain other surveillance concerns. In 2019, a <a href="https://www.unicef.org/innovation/reports/memoAIchildrights">UNICEF-led report</a> highlighted how children’s rights – to creativity, freedom of choice and self-determination – are challenged by smart devices. Present in schools, at home, and on the wrist, this kind of round-the-clock surveillance, the report argues, restricts carefree childhood and hurts kids’ development. Making trackers safer Trackers and toys can be made safer. Before we allow these devices to flood the market, it’s essential <a href="https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10117734/">we standardise</a> the minimum security requirements that manufacturers must comply with – no matter where in the world these devices are made. Key among these standards should be the removal of <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/971440/Code_of_Practice_for_Consumer_IoT_Security_October_2018_V2.pdf">factory-default passwords</a> on devices – which, like “admin” or “1234”, are easily guessed or discovered by even the most novice hacker. Manufacturers should also publish a <a href="https://www.iotsecurityfoundation.org/expanding-the-view-of-consumer-vulnerability-disclosure-practice/">vulnerability disclosure</a> to help users understand risks, and make regular software updates in response to vulnerabilities unearthed by security researchers. Clearly, monitoring people’s health via wearable trackers has the potential to radically improve access to medical care. Likewise, every parent wants their child to be safe, and smart devices, like mobile phones before them, could be a reliable tool for checking in with them. But without safety standards, these devices have the potential to cause more harm than they offset. Regulators must act fast to stop this growing market from leading to significant harms. Written by <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/saheli-datta-burton-1061974">Saheli Datta Burton</a>, UCL and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/madeline-carr-1148007">Madeline Carr</a>, UCL. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-far-too-easy-for-abusers-to-exploit-smart-toys-and-trackers-161946">The Conservation.</a>

Caring

New Zealand’s COVID-19 Tracer app won’t help open a ‘travel bubble’ with Australia anytime soon

New Zealanders finally have access to the government’s new tracing app to help people monitor their movements as lockdown continues to ease. As businesses can now open, the <a href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-general-public/contact-tracing-covid-19/nz-covid-tracer-app">NZ COVID Tracer app</a> allows people to keep a register of the places they visit. This “digital diary” can be used to contact people if it finds they have been in the same place as someone infected with COVID-19. But the app has some significant shortcomings. These won’t be addressed until at least June, which raises questions about whether it has been released too soon. How do you set up and use the app? Registering for the app is a four-step process. When you sign up for an account you are presented with a privacy statement. This tells you your personal information is securely stored by the Ministry of Health. The app then asks you to enter your email address and pick a password. Some may find the password requirements too difficult to meet, especially if you struggle to remember a password of at least ten characters of mixed lower and uppercase letters and numbers. After entering your email, you will receive a verification code via email to complete the registration. In step 4, the app asks you to enter your name and a phone number. The phone number is not mandatory as I was able to create an account using just my first and last names. An “Account created” message will then appear before you get to a home page with three navigational items: <ul> <li>dashboard (this is the current home page)</li> <li>scan (where you can scan the QR code, I’ll explain why in a moment)</li> <li>my profile (where you can log off, update your contact details and address, provide feedback and access a range of other general services such as privacy and security statements).</li> </ul> By scrolling down the dashboard page, you are presented with features to register your details, update your address and “do a daily self-isolation checking” – this last feature is labelled as coming soon. Two types of registrations? The register option asks you to enter your first name, any middle name, last name, phone number, date of birth, gender and ethnicity. This seems confusing as you must go through two forms of registration. First when registering for an account, as we saw earlier, and second when registering your details here. These two processes should have been streamlined into one. The app also asks for gender and ethnicity details, but the justification provided is too generic, saying this “helps us confirm we are serving all New Zealanders”. So how does the app work? The app helps you keep track of the places you visit, like checking in to a restaurant on Facebook. But this process is not done automatically. To add a place you visit to your digital diary, you must scan a QR code available at that location. It should be in the form of a poster advertised at the entrance of a business. But this means businesses must register for a QR code, via <a href="https://www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/contact-tracing">Business Connect</a>, and have it clearly advertised at their premises. By scanning the QR code, the app will then log the location, date and time you visit this business. You can’t manually enter the details of places you visit. How will authorities contact you? The information provided during registration will be sent to a National Close Contact Service (NCCS) so it can contact you if you are identified as having been in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. An update is expected in June, to allow you to transmit your digital diary of the locations you have visited to the NCCS. Until this function is implemented, if the NCCS contacts you, you will have to read out the locations you have signed into with the app. How will they know if you have been in contact with someone infected? Not via the app but through <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2005/S00123/nz-covid-tracer-app-released-to-support-contact-tracing.htm">contact tracing procedures</a> already in place. Until the auto upload is implemented, I don’t believe they should have released the app. This approach is a workaround for not using GPS to log your locations, as in the Facebook restaurant check-in scenario. This could be to avoid issues pertaining to location privacy. But this approach has shortcomings. It is not reliable to use in commonly used or open spaces, such as food courts, school entrances, airports, train stations or any other places where you could come in contact with other people. This will require the use of lots of QR codes and lots of scanning. The app is not useful when visiting friends and family. You don’t expect them to have QR codes at their houses, and they can’t actually get one. Comparing the NZ and Australian apps So how does the New Zealand app compare to Australia’s <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqJCL0-XB6QIViw4rCh0XKAWfEAAYASAAEgJyOfD_BwE">COVIDSafe</a> app? The New Zealand app is not scalable to use in Australia as it would require Australian businesses to register for a Business Connect QR code, which they can’t. Likewise, Australia’s app is not for New Zealand. Visitors to either country would need to use the app specific to that country. Countries such as Iceland, Italy and Norway have not shied away from using GPS to track their citizens’ whereabouts. Australia and Singapore opted to use Bluetooth technology for contact tracing without accessing people’s location information. New Zealand has opted for a softer approach to COVID-19 contact tracing by using only a digital diary. But the director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, <a href="https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/508335/Bluetooth-functionality-to-be-added-to-contact-tracing-app.htm">told Radio NZ Bluetooth technology</a> should be added as an optional extra feature in June. So, at this stage, the NZ COVID Tracer app seems to be a work in progress. It tries to balance or makes some trade-offs between privacy and usability. But this adds to the burden on businesses (the need to set up QR codes) and limits scope when visiting friends or relatives in New Zealand. On May 5 this year, the New Zealand and Australian prime ministers released a <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/prime-ministers-jacinda-ardern-and-scott-morrison-announce-plans-trans-tasman-covid-safe">joint statement</a> to say they had: […] agreed to commence work on a trans-Tasman COVID-safe travel zone – easing travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand. Such an arrangement would be put in place once it is safe to do so and necessary health, transport and other protocols had been developed and met. If the Australian COVIDSafe and NZ COVID Tracer apps are to be part of the solution in opening up travel between the nations, much more work will be needed to make the two apps far more compatible with each other. Written by Mahmoud Elkhodr. Republished with permission of <a href="/New%20Zealanders%20finally%20have%20access%20to%20the%20government’s%20new%20tracing%20app%20to%20help%20people%20monitor%20their%20movements%20as%20lockdown%20continues%20to%20ease.">The Conversation.</a>

International Travel

Fitness trackers overestimate the number of calories burned

Researchers in Aberystwyth University have found that popular brands of fitness trackers can overestimate the number of calories burned while walking by more than 50 per cent. Dr Rhys Thatcher has said that devices had an “inherent tendency” to overmeasure. The tests, which were carried out for the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006sggm">BBC X-Ray programme</a>, measured the amount of oxygen a volunteer used during ten minutes of walking and running sessions on a treadmill before comparing it to a range of various fitness trackers. The fitness trackers on offer were varied in price, ranging from £20 ($NZD 38) to £80 ($NZD 152). <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrYGUEsBryN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading&utm_campaign=embed_locale_test" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BrYGUEsBryN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading&utm_campaign=embed_locale_test" target="_blank">A post shared by fitbit (@fitbit)</a> on Dec 14, 2018 at 9:43am PST </div> </blockquote> The Fitbit Charge 2 was very accurate in testing calories while the volunteer was running, underestimating by 4 per cent. However, when the volunteer was walking, the tracker overestimated by 50 per cent. Dr Thatcher explained: "If you want to know the exact number of calories that you are burning during an exercise session then it doesn't matter which device you use, you have to interpret the data with some caution” Fitbit have said that they’re confident about the performance of their product. Have you noticed that your fitness tracker over estimates the number of calories burned? Let us know in the comments.

Technology

Are fitness trackers as accurate as you think?

There are few things more satisfying than dropping on the couch after a run and seeing how many calories you've destroyed. But there's a chance your activity tracker is pandering to your desires. "Even the best trackers overestimate calories burned by 30 per cent or more," Otago University PhD candidate Leon Mabire said. So outraged are some fitness bunnies that they've filed law suits in the United States against activity tracker giant Fitbit, claiming the device is "highly inaccurate". As part of the US lawsuit, the plaintiffs' lawyers commissioned a study that tested Fitbits against ECG heart rate monitor the Zephyr. The study found devices can be off by up to 20 beats a minute during intensive workouts, and the margin of error increased with intensity. Fitbit, a company worth US$8 billion, has hit back at the study, saying it was biased, baseless and lacked scientific rigour. The company's website does not list a percentage of accuracy for its products, but does state: "Like all heart-rate monitoring technologies, accuracy is affected by physiology, location of device, and different movements." "There isn't a gold standard device that can be accurately compared to Fitbit," the Daily Mail reported. That is where Mabire comes in. He says he has developed an algorithm that can predict calories burned with an accuracy of 94 per cent. It took into account body weight, height, body mass index, and a couple of secret, commercially sensitive things, he said. When he tested the Fitbit Charge HR ($259.95) and the clip-on Fitbit Zip ($99.95) as part of his research, he found their accuracy was between 60 and 75 per cent. In his sample size of 62, the Charge read 120 per cent of actual calories burned while the Zip served up 135 per cent. Mabire tested subjects in a range of shapes and sizes, ranging from athletes with a BMI of 19 to the morbidly obese. "Everyone is different. You don't have a standard Aspirin dose, you have it according to your body weight," he said. "Why don't we do that for exercise? Exercise is medicine too." A Berkeley science review found "Fitbit is good for counting steps, might need some help when it comes to measuring distance, and is not particularly reliable for counting calories burned". A Fitbit spokesman said the company's research team rigorously researched and developed the technology for the Charge HR three years prior to introducing it to market and conducts ongoing internal studies on its products. "Consumer Reports independently tested the heart rate accuracy of the Charge HR and Surge after the initial lawsuit was filed in January and gave both products an 'excellent' rating," he said. "We stand behind our heart-rate monitoring technology and all our products, and continue to believe the plaintiffs' allegations do not have any merit." Several posts on Fitbit's Facebook page question its accuracy. In a post from Mangatainoka, a woman complained her Fitbit recorded 16,509 steps and 2332 calories burned in a day when she did only 8000 steps, and that it recorded activity while she was sleeping in another room, with her tracker resting on a table. Fitbit suggested she decrease her tracker's step-counting sensitivity. Mabire said he did not want to compete with Fitbit. He wanted to create a medical-grade device. "We'd like to have a prototype by the end of 2016, then we can start testing it, then possibly look at a product in some form next year." Aside from going for a $5000 AMP Scholarship on June 1, he hopes he can make use of some of the record $2.2b injection into healthcare, announced as part of the Budget on Thursday. "There was talk on increasing funding in the medical technology area, and something like this would be right up their street." Do you use a fitness tracker like a fit bit? Do you think after reading this article you’ll be more cautious when analysing the results? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Written by Rachel Thomas. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Related links: <a href="/health/caring/2016/07/how-wearable-devices-could-save-your-life/">How wearable devices could save your life</a> <a href="/entertainment/technology/2016/07/apps-to-help-forgetful-people-to-remember-things/">Apps to help forgetful people to remember things</a> <a href="/entertainment/technology/2016/06/how-a-mobile-phone-can-save-your-life/">How a mobile phone can save your life</a>

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