Wearable Tech in Lung Cancer Recovery

Lung cancer patients often face unique challenges when it comes to physical activity. Their slow and fragmented gait can make it difficult for wearable devices to accurately track their steps. This is a problem, as these devices are increasingly being used in exercise-oncology trials and clinical decision-making.

Researchers at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center wanted to see how well the Fitbit Charge 6 device could track steps and classify activity intensity in adults with lung cancer. They recruited 14 patients with stage I-IV lung cancer and had them wear the Fitbit device on their nondominant wrist while performing various activities.

These activities included walking trials of different durations, self-selected gait speed trials, and tasks like standing, sitting, lying, and fidgeting. All activities were video recorded and coded at a 1-second resolution. The researchers then compared the Fitbit's step count to the video recordings to see how accurate it was.

The results showed that the Fitbit Charge 6 device was able to accurately track steps and classify activity intensity in adults with lung cancer. However, the accuracy varied depending on the activity and the duration of the walk. The researchers hope that their findings will help improve the use of wearable devices in exercise-oncology trials and clinical decision-making for lung cancer patients.