13 June 2016
From the summary article: Mobile devices have increasingly penetrated our life and have become one of the study subjects in clinical informatics. Well-designed randomized trials are rarely used for these studies. A recent publication in the telemedicine journal and e-health tested the utility of Fitbit, a wearable device, in comparison with SMS messaging in prompting overweight and obese adults to increase their physical activity [5]. Sixty-seven adults enrolled in the study. The results suggest that a Fitbit and SMS mixed approach achieves a small increase in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity at a 6-week follow-up, and SMS reminders are insufficient in increasing physical activity beyond 1 week.