Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mobile Apps to Quantify Aspects of Physical Activity: a Systematic Review on its Reliability and Validity

  • Mobile & Wireless Health
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to systematically review and evaluate the evidence on the accuracy (validity) and consistency (reliability) of mobile apps used to quantify physical activity. Systematic literature searches were conducted in Pubmed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Academic Search Complete and IEEE Xplore. Studies were included if they reported on the validity and/or reliability of a mobile application aiming primarily at measuring physical activity in humans with or without pathology. The reference lists of included articles were also screened for reports not identified through electronic searches. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by 2 independent reviewers and data extracted by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. A total of 25 articles were included in this review, of which 18 refer to validity and 7 to both validity and reliability. Mean percentage difference was used as an indicator of validity and varied between 0.1% and 79.3%. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients varied between 0.02 and 0.99 indicating poor to excellent reliability. There is conflicting and insufficient evidence on the validity and reliability, respectively, of apps for measuring physical activity. Nevertheless, velocity and the place where the smartphone is carried seem to have an impact on validity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reiner, M., Niermann, C., Jekauc, D., and Woll, A., Long-term health benefits of physical activity-a systematic review of longitudinal studies. BMC Public Health. 13:813, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Jacobs, J. M., Rottenberg, Y., Cohen, A., and Stessman, J., Physical activity and health service utilization among older people. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 14(2):125–129, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Silva AG, Queiros A, Rocha NP. Functioning and primary healthcare utilization in older adults: a 1-year follow-up study. Physiother Theory Pr. 2018;:1–10.

  4. Ekblom-Bak, E., Ekblom, B., Vikström, M., de Faire, U., and Hellénius, M.-L., The importance of non-exercise physical activity for cardiovascular health and longevity. Br J Sport Med. 48:233–238, 2014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. World Health Organization, Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneve: World Health Organization, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Tudor-Locke, C., Craig, C. L., Brown, W. J., Clemes, S. A., De Cocker, K., Giles-Corti, B. et al., How many steps/day are enough? For adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 8:79, 2011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Tudor-Locke, C., Craig, C. L., Thyfault, J. P., and Spence, J. C., A step-defined sedentary lifestyle index: <5000 steps/day. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 38:100–114, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Middelweerd, A., Mollee, J. S., van der Wal, C. N., Brug, J., and Te Velde, S. J., Apps to promote physical activity among adults: A review and content analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 11:97, 2014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Bort-Roig, J., Gilson, N. D., Puig-Ribera, A., Contreras, R. S., and Trost, S. G., Measuring and influencing physical activity with smartphone technology: A systematic review. Sport Med. 44:671–686, 2014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Statistica. Number of smartphone users worldwide from 2014 to 2020 (in billions). Statistica. 2016. https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/. Accessed 5 Mar 2018.

  11. AppBrain. Google Play Stats. AppBrain. 2018. https://www.appbrain.com/stats. Accessed 5 Mar 2018.

  12. PocketGamer.biz. App Store Metrics. PocketGamer.biz. 2018.

  13. Xcertia mHealth App Guidelines. 2019 Board Approved Xcertia Guidelines.

  14. Vanhees, L., Lefevre, J., Philippaerts, R., Martens, M., Huygens, W., Troosters, T., and Beunen, G., How to assess physical activity? How to assess physical fitness? Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 12(2):102–114, 2005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Caspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, Exercise , and Physical Fitness: Definitions and Distinctions for Health-Related Research. Public Heal Rep. 1985;100:126–131.

  16. Streiner, D. L., and Norman, G. R., Health measurement scales: A practical guide to their development and use. 3rd edition. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Brink, Y., and Louw, Q. A., Clinical instruments: Reliability and validity critical appraisal. J Eval Clin Pr. 18:1126–1132, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Walter, S. D., Eliasziw, M., and Donner, A., Sample size and optimal designs for reliability studies. Stat Med. 17:101–110, 1998.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Terwee, C. B., Bot, S. D. M., de Boer, M. R., van der Windt, D. A. W. M., Knol, D. L., Dekker, J., Bouter, L. M., and de Vet, H. C., Quality criteria were proposed for measurement properties of health status questionnaires. J Clin Epidemiol. 60(1):34–42, 2007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Prince, S. A., Adamo, K. B., Hamel, M. E., Hardt, J., Connor Gorber, S., and Tremblay, M., A comparison of direct versus self-report measures for assessing physical activity in adults: A systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 5:56, 2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Lombard, M. J., Steyn, N. P., Charlton, K. E., and Senekal, M., Application and interpretation of multiple statistical tests to evaluate validity of dietary intake assessment methods. Nutr J. 14:40, 2015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Aaronson, N., Alonso, J., Burnam, A., Lohr, K. N., Patrick, D. L., Perrin, E., and Stein, R. E., Assessing health status and quality-of-life instruments: Attributes and review criteria. Qual Life Res. 11(3):193–205, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Adamakis, M., Comparing the validity of a GPS monitor and a smartphone application to measure physical activity. J Mob Technol Med. 6:28–38, 2017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Battenberg, A. K., Donohoe, S., Robertson, N., and Schmalzried, T. P., The accuracy of personal activity monitoring devices. Semin Arthroplast. 28:71–75, 2017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Pobiruchin, M., Suleder, J., Zowalla, R., and Wiesner, M., Accuracy and adoption of wearable technology used by active citizens: A Marathon event field study. JMIR mHealth uHealth. 5(2):e24, 2017. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.6395.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Prieto-Centurion, V., Bracken, N., Norwick, L., Zaidi, F., Mutso, A., Morken, V., Coultas, D. et al., Can commercially available pedometers be used for physical activity monitoring in patients with COPD following exacerbations? Chronic Obs Pulm Dis. 3:636–642, 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sarwar, A., Mukhtar, H., Maqbool, M., and Belaid, D., SmartFit: A step count based Mobile application for engagement in physical activities. Int J Adv Comput Sci Appl. 6, 2015.

  28. Vorrink, S. N., Kort, H. S., Troosters, T., and Lammers, J.-W. J., A Mobile phone app to stimulate daily physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Development, feasibility, and pilot studies. JMIR mHealth uHealth. 4(1):e11, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.4741.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Presset, B., Laurenczy, B., Malatesta, D., and Barral, J., Accuracy of a smartphone pedometer application according to different speeds and mobile phone locations in a laboratory context. J Exerc Sci Fit. 16(2):43–48, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesf.2018.05.001.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Duncan, M. J., Wunderlich, K., Zhao, Y., and Faulkner, G., Walk this way: Validity evidence of iphone health application step count in laboratory and free-living conditions. J Sports Sci. 36(15):1695–1704, 2018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Höchsmann, C., Knaier, R., Eymann, J., Hintermann, J., Infanger, D., and Schmidt-Trucksäss, A., Validity of activity trackers, smartphones, and phone applications to measure steps in various walking conditions. Scand J Med Sci Sport. 28:1818–1827, 2018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Xie, J., Wen, D., Liang, L., Jia, Y., Gao, L., and Lei, J., Evaluating the validity of current mainstream wearable devices in fitness tracking under various physical activities: Comparative study. JMIR mHealth uHealth. 6, 2018.

  33. Bergman, R., Spellman, J., Hall, M., and Bergman, S., Is there a valid app for that? Validity of a free pedometer iPhone application. J Phys Act Heal Heal. 9:670–676, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Bort-Roig, J., Puig-Ribera, A., Contreras, R. S., Chirveches-Perez, E., Martori, J. C., Gilson, N. D. et al., Monitoring sedentary patterns in office employees: Validity of an m-health tool (walk@work-app) for occupational health. Gac Sanit. 32(6):563–566, 2018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Chinrungrueng J, Sartsatit S, Intarapanich A. My act: an automatic detection of daily physical activity and calorie expenditure using smart phones. J Assist Rehabil Ther Technol. 2AD;2014:1–8.

  36. Dybus, A., Paul, L., Wyke, S., Brewster, S., and Gill, J., Ramsay A, et al. Validation of smartphone step count algorithm used in STARFISH smartphone application. 25:1157–1162, 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Gordon BA, Bruce L, Benson AC. Physical activity intensity can be accurately monitored by smartphone global positioning system ‘app.’ Eur J Sport Sci. 2016;16:624–631. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2015.1105299, Physical activity intensity can be accurately monitored by smartphone global positioning system 'app', 5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Khalil A, Glal S. StepUp : A Step Counter Mobile Application to Promote Healthy Lifestyle. In: International Conference on the Current Trends in Information Technology (CTIT). 2009. p. 1–5.

  39. Leong, J., and Wong, J., Accuracy of three android-based pedometer applications in laboratory and free-living settings. J Sport Sci. 35:14–21, 2017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Maddison, R., Gemming, L., Monedero, J., Bolger, L., Belton, S., Issartel, J., Marsh, S., Direito, A., Solenhill, M., Zhao, J., Exeter, D. J., Vathsangam, H., and Rawstorn, J. C., Quantifying human movement using the Movn smartphone app: Validation and field study. JMIR mHealth uHealth. 5(8):e122, 2017. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.7167.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Åkerberg, A., Söderlund, A., and Lindén, M., Investigation of the validity and reliability of a smartphone pedometer application. Eur J Physiother. 18:185–193, 2016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Benson, A., Bruce, L., and Gordon, B., Reliability and validity of a GPS-enabled iPhone TM “app” to measure physical activity. J Sport Sci. 33:1421–1428, 2015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Fokkema, T., Kooiman, T. J. M., Krijnen, W. P., Van Der Schans, C. P., and De Groot, M., Reliability and validity of ten consumer activity trackers depend on walking speed. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 49:793–800, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Konharn, K., Eungpinichpong, W., Promdee, K., Sangpara, P., Nongharnpitak, S., Malila, W., and Karawa, J., Validity and reliability of smartphone applications for the assessment of walking and running in Normal-weight and overweight/obese young adults. J Phys Act Heal. 13(12):1333–1340, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2015-0544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Kooiman, T. J. M., Dontje, M. L., Sprenger, S. R., Krijnen, W. P., van der Schans, C. P., and de Groot, M., Reliability and validity of ten consumer activity trackers. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 7:24, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-015-0018-5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  46. Orr, K., Howe, H. S., Omran, J., Smith, K. A., Palmateer, T. M., Ma, A. E., and Faulkner, G., Validity of smartphone pedometer applications. BMC Res Notes. 8:733, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-015-1705-8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Douma, J. A. J., Verheul, H. M. W., and Buffart, L. M., Feasibility, validity and reliability of objective smartphone measurements of physical activity and fitness in patients with cancer. BMC Cancer. 18, 2018.

  48. World Health Organization. Prevalence of insufficient physical activity. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data. 2010,.

  49. Silva, A. G., Queirós, A., Sá-Couto, P., and Rocha, N. P., Higher pain intensity, depression, and being 75 years or older are associated with lower levels of self-reported physical activity in older adults with pain attending primary care. Clin Gerontol. 39:324–341, 2016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Brink, Y., and Louw, Q., Clinical instruments : Reliability and validity critical appraisal. J Eval Clin Pr. 18:1126–1132, 2012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Mokkink, L. B., Terwee, C. B., and Patrick, D. L., Alonso J. Knol DL, et al. COSMIN checklist manual. Amsterdam: Stratford PW, 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Mokkink, L. B., Terwee, C. B., Knol, D. L., Stratford, P. W., Alonso, J., Patrick, D. L. et al., The COSMIN checklist for evaluating the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties: A clarification of its content. BMC Med Res Methodol. 10:22, 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Weir, J. P., Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. J Strength Cond Res. 19(1):231–240, 2005.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Anabela G. Silva, Patrícia Simões & Alexandra Queirós

  2. Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS.UA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Anabela G. Silva

  3. Institute of Electronics and Telematics Engineering of Aveiro (IEETA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Alexandra Queirós, Mário Rodrigues & Nelson P. Rocha

  4. Higher School of Technology and Management of Águeda, University of Aveiro, R. Cmte, Pinho e Freitas 5, 3750-127, Águeda, Portugal

    Mário Rodrigues

  5. Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Nelson P. Rocha

Authors
  1. Anabela G. Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patrícia Simões
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alexandra Queirós
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mário Rodrigues
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nelson P. Rocha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anabela G. Silva.

Ethics declarations

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

This work was funded by SmartWalk – Smart Cities for Active Seniors, reference number SAICT-POL/24293/2016. All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Research Involving Human Participants and/or Animals

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mobile & Wireless Health

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Silva, A.G., Simões, P., Queirós, A. et al. Mobile Apps to Quantify Aspects of Physical Activity: a Systematic Review on its Reliability and Validity. J Med Syst 44, 51 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-019-1506-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-019-1506-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation