Accuracy of the ActivPAL and Fitbit Charge 2 in measuring step count in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA) is important in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) management. Fitness wearables are becoming increasingly popular as measurement tools of PA; however, the accuracy of these devices should first be evaluated. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of the ActivPAL and Fitbit Charge 2 as a measure of step count in Cystic Fibrosis. Methods: Twenty-one participants were recruited from an adult CF Center in Ireland for a single session of testing. Participants walked for 5 min at five pre-determined speeds in a controlled testing environment (2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 miles per hour on a treadmill) and at three self-selected speeds in a corridor (slow, medium, and fast). They concurrently wore an accelerometer (ActivPAL) and fitness wearable (Fitbit Charge 2), and both were compared to visual observations. Step count is the outcome being assessed. Results: The ActivPAL under-estimated step count by 0.63% across treadmill speeds and 1.1% across self-selected walking speeds. The Fitbit Charge 2 underestimated the step count by 2.97% across treadmill speeds and by 6.3% across self-selected walking speeds. Very strong correlations were found between the ActivPAL and visual observations (r: 0.93 to 0.99), while the Fitbit Charge 2 ranged from weak to very strong correlations when compared to visual observations (r: 0.34 to 0.84). Conclusion: The ActivPAL and Fitbit Charge 2 demonstrated acceptable validity for step count measurement in CF. These devices can be used for tracking PA during interventions in people with CF.