Laboratory comparison of consumer-grade and research-established wearables for monitoring heart rate, body temperature, and physical acitivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Consumer-grade wearables are becoming increasingly popular in research and in clinical contexts. These technologies hold significant promise for advancing digital medicine, particularly in remote and rural areas in low-income settings like sub-Saharan Africa, where climate change is exacerbating health risks. This study evaluates the data agreement between consumer-grade and research-established devices under standardized conditions.

Methods

Twenty-two participants (11 women, 11 men) performed a structured protocol, consisting of six different activity phases (sitting, standing, and the first four stages of the classic Bruce treadmill test). We collected heart rate, (core) body temperature, step count, and energy expenditure. Each variable was simultaneously track

SUBMITTER: Mendt S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11865084 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature