Association between wearable activity trackers usage and levels of physical activity among Athens Medical Society members

Abstract Introduction Wearable Activity Trackers (WAT) provide real-time feedback on activity levels and play a pivotal role in fostering an active lifestyle. Moreover, WAT can encourage doctors’ awareness to be more conscious of their daily physical activity whose exercise habits range between different medical specialties. Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of WAT usage on physicians’ exercise habits according to the recommendations of ESC Guidelines. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised 742 physicians of the Athens Medical Society (AMS), Greece. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire mailed in October 2023 to evaluate physicians’ usage of WAT, baseline characteristics of population, specialty, and physical exercise habits. European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines recommend at least 150 min/week of moderate-intensity exercise in all healthy adults. Subjects were divided in two groups according to their usage of WAT or not in their everyday life: 1. Daily usage of WAT (Group A); 2. No regular or even on usage of WAT (Group B). Results A considerably high proportion of the total population use WAT daily (38%). Between Group A and Group B there was no difference in age (49±12 years vs. 51±13 years, p=0.07), male sex prevalence (55% vs. 49%, p=0.08) and BMI (25.7± 4.6 kg/m2 vs. 25.2± 4.1 kg/m2, p=0.11). Interestingly, there was statistically significant difference in mean exercise endurance training time between Group A and Group B (301±304 min. vs. 209±268 min., p<0.001) (Figure 1) and in the proportion of the doctors who follow the ESC Recommendations (63.5% vs. 47.2%, p<0.001). Furthermore, most of the physicians who use WAT have awareness for ESC Guidelines (59% vs. 47%, p<0.001), and most of them apply diet to lose weight (36% vs. 29%, p=0.04). Finally, WAT were mostly used by 4 main specialties: Cardiology (47%), Endocrinology (44%), Surgery (35%) and Internal Medicine (25%), with cardiologists reporting the higher use (p=0.045). Conclusion This study underscores the widespread adoption of WAT among physicians, highlighting their potential to positively influence exercise habits and adherence to ESC Guidelines. Physicians using WAT demonstrated increased exercise endurance training time, greater awareness of ESC Guidelines, and a higher propensity to implement weight loss diets compared to non-users. Additionally, variations in WAT usage and awareness of ESC Guidelines across medical specialties emphasize the need for targeted interventions to promote physical activity and enhance overall health among healthcare professionals.