Research Article

Wearable activity monitors to support physical activity interventions in neurodegenerative disease: a feasibility study

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6138-8107

Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY 10027, USA

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Lori Quinn

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2982-923X

Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY 10027, USA

Department of Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine (Physical Therapy), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY, USA

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Philippa Morgan-Jones

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2240-691X

School of Engineering, Cardiff University, CF24 3AA, UK

Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University, CF14 4YS, UK

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Katrina Long

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4552-7087

Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY 10027, USA

Department of Occupational Therapy, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA

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Abigail R Schreier

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6828-0127

Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY 10027, USA

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Ciaran P Friel

*Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 646 766 7160;

E-mail Address: cfriel@northwell.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9882-2851

Institute of Health System Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, NY 10022, USA

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Published Online:15 Jun 2023https://doi.org/10.2217/nmt-2022-0028

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Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of using activity monitors in a physical activity (PA) intervention in people with Parkinson's (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). Materials & methods: People with early-stage PD (n = 13) and HD (n = 14) enrolled in a 4-month coaching program, wore a Fitbit, and were guided through a behavioral intervention to facilitate PA uptake. Wear time, wear habits and activity metrics (e.g., steps) were analyzed. Results: Retention rate was 85% and participants had an average 92.3% (±9.2) valid wear days. Daily wear time was 18.4 (±4.5) h. Day & night Fitbit wearers showed improvements in steps (d = 1.02) and MET×min/week (d = 0.69) compared with day-only wearers. Conclusion: Implementing wearables in a coaching intervention was feasible and provided insights into PA behavior.

Keywords:

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Vol. 13, No. 3

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Received 3 October 2022

Accepted 4 May 2023

Published online 15 June 2023

Published in print June 2023

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Keywords

Author contributions

All authors contributed equally H-J Steffi Shih; L Quinn; P Morgan-Jones, K Long, AR Schreier and CP Friel.

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to acknowledge all the individuals with Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease who participated in the pilot studies. We would also like to acknowledge K Marder; A Rao, P Wasserman and D Thorne for their assistance with recruitment at the Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence at Columbia University. We would also like to acknowledge M Caciula, S Jain and D Mark for assistance in study implementation.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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