Activity Tracker Biofeedback and its Effects on Physical Activity, Psychological Outcomes, and Health Awareness : A Daily Life Monitoring Study

Abstract

  In recent years, with the focus on preventative health approaches, there has been growing interest in health management using activity tracker (AT). This study investigated the impact of biofeedback using AT on physical activities, psychological aspects, and interest in health and sleep quality in healthy participants.

  Eleven participants (mean age＝42.9±12.1 years) wore AT and provided biometric data (steps, heart rate, sleep duration, sleep efficiency) for five two-week periods. Subjective happiness (SHS) and stress (K10) were assessed via questionnaires, and changes in health awareness were evaluated at the study’s conclusion. The analysis results showed that, compared to Period 1 (baseline), there was a significant increase in the average number of steps taken in all other periods. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the average sleep time between the periods. Regarding the K10, the number of participants who scored above the cutoff value decreased at the end of the study compared to the beginning. In addition, 81.8％ of the participants said that their interest in health had increased, and 100％ said that their interest in sleep quality had increased.

  This study suggests that biofeedback using AT may increase the number of steps taken and improve awareness of health and sleep. However, there was no clear direct effect on sleep time or psychological indicators. On the other hand, the problem of low AT attachment rates was also identified, suggesting the need for a more convenient device.