The next time you exercise with your Fitbit, you should be aware that its health readings may be off to some extent.
Fitbit bands are quite popular among health-conscious users and are among the best-selling wearables in the health space. They are marketed by the company as the ultimate devices that can help track information like your heart rate to improve your lifestyle. However, a new study conducted by California State Polytechnic University has found that this recording can be quite inaccurate.
Results from the Pomona study, conducted by researchers at California State Polytechnic University, in which participants' heart rates were measured simultaneously with a Fitbit on each wrist and an echocardiogram, found that the heart rate monitors in two Fitbit models – the Surge and Charge HR – can be inaccurate by up to 20 beats per minute.
More shockingly, sometimes the two devices didn't record a heartbeat at all, giving even more inaccurate results..
Between the two devices, the researchers found a greater difference with the Surge compared to the Charge HR.
Forty-three adults were measured at different levels of 65-minute activities that included running, skipping rope, and treadmill running. The results showed that the more intense the exercise, the greater the margin of error.
"Fitbit trackers do not accurately measure a user's heart rate, particularly during moderate to high-intensity exercise, and cannot be used to provide a meaningful estimate of a user's heart rate," the researchers wrote.
A class action lawsuit against Fitbit by several users will now use the research to support their case.
However, this is not the first study that has been done. Previous studies on wearables have also shown that they present several exclusions.
