WEARABLE FITNESS TECHNOLOGY: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Abstract

While there are many tools available to help people lose weight and lower the rising rate of obesity, wearable technology has not been demonstrated to be helpful in long-term weight control. The objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the long-term usage of wearable technologies to assist overweight or obese people in losing weight. We also searched the databases of EMBASE, Compendex, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Central, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, and Scopus. Studies that collected data over a minimum of one year (long-term) and included adult participants with a BMI >24 met the inclusion criteria. The instruments utilized to undertake the risk of bias assessment, which was suitable for a variety of study types, included the Cochrane risk of bias tool, Risk of Bias In Nonrandomized studies of Interventions, A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews, and six questions to elicit critical thinking. Included is a narrative summary of the study's conclusions. Out of the five intervention studies that we included, four were randomized controlled trials and one was nonrandomized research. Six systematic reviews, four discussion articles, and concepts from a dissertation were also included. Despite the fact that the wearable device treatments did not outperform comparator interventions, participants who were overweight or obese gradually lost weight. Overall research founded that significant impact of wearable fitness technology on weight management. There was a strong likelihood that the included intervention trials were impacted by bias. There were significant discrepancies in the included study aims, methodology, and results, making a meta-analysis difficult.