Accuracy of Commercially Available Heart Rate Monitors II

Overview

In 2015, over 85 million fitness wearables were sold worldwide and the market is projected to expand to 110 million units sold in 2017. Of all wearable technology, fitness devices that track heart rate are predicted to be the most popular. At the elite level, commercial heart rate monitors are being used by athletes like LeBron James, Blake Griffin, and Matthew Dellavedova to monitor and alter their behaviors for peak athletic performance. Millions of ordinary consumers purchase fitness trackers that include heart rate monitors in order to help them to maintain their health and wellness. As popularity of these fitness devices grows, assessment of the accuracy of heart rate measurements becomes increasingly important.

In a previous trial, investigators compared the accuracy of four devices (Apple Watch, Fitbit Charge HR, Mio Fuse, Basis Peak) worn by subjects while performing a graded exercise program on a treadmill. Investigators discovered that the Apple Watch and Mio Fuse had a correlation coefficient (rc) of .91, Fitbit Charge HR had an rc of .84, and Basis Peak had an rc of .83. That study has been submitted for publication. Reviewers of the first study raised an important question: how do commercial optical heart rate monitors perform when measuring heart rate during other popular forms of exercise? This study addresses that question. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of four heart rate monitors when used during three different exercises: treadmill, stationary bicycle, elliptical trainer.

Conditions