Date of Award

Fall 2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Exercise Science

First Advisor

R. Glenn Weaver

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Wearable technologies are increasingly used to monitor physical activity and heart rate in both research and everyday settings. This study aimed to compare accelerometery and heart rate (HR) data from two consumer wearables Apple Watch Series 7 and Google Pixel Watch Series 2, with research-grade devices: the ActiGraph GT9X Link and ActiHeart 5.

METHODS: Twenty-four young adults aged 18–24 years (mean age = 22.4; 54.2% female) participated in a 90-minute activity protocol while wearing the devices. The protocol included structured tasks ranging from rest to vigorous intensity. Consumer wearables and ActiGraph were worn on the non-dominant wrist, and the ActiHeart was placed on the chest.

RESULTS: For Mean Amplitude Deviation (MAD), the Apple Watch showed excellent agreement with the ActiGraph (Pearson’s r = 0.97; Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC = 0.97), with minimal bias and tight limits of agreement (LOA: −0.10 to 0.12). The Pixel Watch also performed well (r = 0.91; CCC = 0.91) with slightly wider LOA. Euclidean Norm Minus One (ENMO) showed slightly lower agreement for both devices (Apple: r = 0.85; CCC = 0.84; Pixel: r = 0.84; CCC = 0.84). Heart rate data from the Apple Watch had near-perfect agreement with ActiHeart (r = 0.99; CCC = 1.00). The Pixel Watch also demonstrated strong agreement (r = 0.96; CCC = 0.96) with ActiHeart heart rate.

CONCLUSION: Both consumer wearables, especially the Apple Watch, demonstrated strong agreement with research-grade devices, supporting their potential use in measuring physical activity and heart rate in young adults.

Rights

© 2025, Candy Bryan Mrudula Yalla

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