5 Ways that Wearable Health Tech is Used in Research

Wearable health technology, like watches, wristbands, and rings are leveraged across research in a variety of ways. Enjoy this brief overview of how and why different stakeholders use wearables to understand more about human health.

Academic Research:

• Wearable as measurement tool: In these studies researchers are using the sensors in wearables to measure steps, activity, sleep, heart rate, etc. when studying other health outcomes.

  • Example: One study examined how cannabis consumption affects sleep quality and duration. Fitbit trackers were used as a means to passively measure sleep. 

• Wearable as intervention: The use of wearables like Fitbits and Apple Watches to drive behavior change is another common category of academic research. These studies consider interventions like goal setting for step tracking or standing alerts to increase physical activity or promote weight loss. 

  • Example: Using wearables to promote physical activity in old age : Feasibility, benefits, and user friendliness

Academic + Industry Research:

• Feature validation studies: Often sponsored or conducted by the wearable companies themselves in partnership with academic institutions, the purpose of validation studies is to confirm the accuracy, safety, and efficacy of new health product features. Fitbit and Apple both ran large studies to validate their AFib notification feature.

  • Learn more about the Fitbit Heart Study and the Apple Heart Study.

Industry Research:

• Retrospective studies mining user data: Wearable companies are gathering millions of data points from users every day. They query against these data sets to look for new correlations among biomarkers and human health.

  • Example: In August 2024, Oura released a report splicing the data they collect by gender and reported on differences between men and women when it comes to sleep, stress, and activity levels. 

• Prospective studies to develop product features: Whoop conducts in-person studies at Whoop Labs. According to Whoop’s website, “WHOOP is the only wearable in the game that has a dedicated research facility that empowers its own members to influence product features and be a part of groundbreaking discoveries about health and performance.” They have also launched Digital Whoop Labs for in-app studies. Oura also conducts in-app research that users can opt-into that pull from their data and combine it with questionnaires.

Curious about how wearable devices stack up in terms of accuracy? God bless the people who conduct systematic reviews.

• Real-World Accuracy of Wearable Activity Trackers for Detecting Medical Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024)

• Reliability and Validity of Commercially Available Wearable Devices for Measuring Steps, Energy Expenditure, and Heart Rate: Systematic Review (2020)