Abstract
Purpose:
The purpose of this research is to validate the stair climbing function of the Fitbit One (tri-axial accelerometer). Currently this is the only commercially available device that records and tracks the number of flights of stairs climbed by an individual. An objective measure of purposeful stair climbing will be a useful tool in future interventions that can focus on this behaviour.
Methods:
Participants. Sixty-six participants (n = 53 female, n = 13 male) were recruited from the University of Alberta.
Procedure. A route was mapped out in a University of Alberta building. This route included two identical staircases each with an elevation of 20 ft. Each staircase represented two flights of stairs (based on 10 ft./flight). Participants walked up the two stair cases ten times each for a total of 20 flights of stairs. The output from the Fitbit One was recorded and compared to the actual flights climbed.
Results:
The internal consistency within the devices was high (α = .86). The percent agreement between the actual flights of stairs climbed and the number reported by the FitBit One was 92.4% with a range of values from 19-21. The absolute percent error was also calculated (APE = -0.23 ± 1.37) and found to be well under the acceptable level of error.
Conclusion:
The overall results of this study suggest that the Fitbit One is an accurate and reliable measure of purposeful stair climbing behaviour and is therefore suitable for use as an objective measure for use in stair climbing interventions.
