Current Patterns of Use and Acceptability of Consumer Wearable Activity Trackers in Emergency Department Patients

Introduction: Obesity and the metabolic syndrome are leading causes of increased healthcare utilization, preventable illness, and premature death. Future emergency department (ED) based strategies may include the use of consumer wearable activity trackers (WATs). Our objective was to characterize patterns of use and acceptability of WATs in ED patients and examine differences based on demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: This was a survey-based study addressing: 1) current or prior use of WATs, and 2) future interest in WAT use and willingness to share associated data with researchers. Any adult patient presenting to the ED was included, with enrollment at two large, urban academic medical centers. Results: A total of 169 participants were included, with 27% reporting current WAT use. WAT users were significantly younger (p<0.01) with higher rates of employment (p=0.01), income (p=0.03), and education (p=0.02) compared to non-WAT users. WAT users were less likely to report comorbidities including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus (all p<0.01). Cost was the most prohibitive barrier among non-WAT users. Importantly, >90% were open to wearing WATs and sharing activity data with researchers. Conclusions: Results indicate that although current WAT use is limited, most ED patients express interest in future use and willingness to share activity data with researchers.