Are Wearable Fitness Trackers Killing Your Doctor Bills or You?

There are two positions on wearable technology, the yes and no side. This technology has the power to disrupt healthcare by proving more patient than ever before in a relatively inexpensive, yet accurate matter. However, some point out than wearables in fact are making people fatter.

On the “yes” side is Dr. Peter Weiss, co-founder of Rodeo Drive Women’s Health Clinic. Even if wearable technology doesn’t directly make users more healthy; wearable technology will create new industries and businesses built around health. He believes that these technological advancements will end up benefitting patients if they are willing to use the technology and share their results with their physicians, as this can help physicians modify a patient’s everyday routine. This helps a physician see where a patient is really at and make more data-guided recommendations based on the wearable results (Weiss & Brulte). For example, in an office visit, a physician can recommend that a patient takes 10,000 steps a day. But if the patient is only taking 5,000 a day that goal may seem impossible to accomplish, but with wearable data a physician can set a lower goal like 6,500 steps then build it up based on data. Although there is strong evidence for wearables creating healthier patients, even indirectly, there is still a “no” side that believes wearables are hurting more than helping.

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On the “no” side is Dr. Mitesh Patel, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who believes assigning someone wearable technology will make that big of a difference overall. He bases this statement on a study done by John Jalicic of the University of Pittsburg, where 470 patients were put on a low-calories diet and told to exercise more for two years. Half were given a fitness tracker to monitor progress. After two years, both were equally active, but the group with wearables lost less weight. The reason for this is patients becoming discouraged by not meeting fitness goals set by their wearables or believed they could eat more based on the exercise their wearable reported (Ross). Although some patients may be more motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle with the use of a wearable, it may have the opposite effect.

Source: NPR "Weight Loss On Your Wrist? Fitness Trackers May Not Help"