Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon.
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon.
Sensors (Basel). 2021 Jun 30;21(13):4472. doi: 10.3390/s21134472.
The markets of commercial wearables and health and fitness apps are constantly growing globally, especially among young adults and athletes, to track physical activity, energy expenditure and health. Despite their wide availability, evidence on use comes predominantly from the United States or Global North, with none targeting college student-athletes in low- and middle-income countries. This study was aimed to explore the use of these technologies among student-athletes at the American University of Beirut (AUB). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 482 participants (average age 20 years) enrolled in 24 teams during Fall 2018; 230 students successfully completed the web-based survey, and 200 provided valid data. Fifty-three (26.5%) have owned a fitness tracker, mostly for self-monitoring. The most popular were Fitbit, Apple Watch, and Garmin. Similarly, 82 students (40%) used apps, primarily MyFitnessPal, Apple Health, and Samsung Health. Nevertheless, many participants discontinued use due to loss of interest or technical issues (breaking, usability, obsolescence, or lack of engagement). Wearable devices were considered superior to mobile phones alone as physical activity monitors. However, forming regular habits made self-monitoring via technology irrelevant. Further research is needed to better understand what motivates continuous use among student-athletes, who could use trackers to improve athletic performance and overall health.
商业可穿戴设备和健康及健身应用市场在全球范围内持续增长，尤其是在年轻成年人和运动员中，用于跟踪身体活动、能量消耗和健康状况。尽管这些设备广泛可用，但使用这些设备的证据主要来自美国或全球北方国家，没有针对中低收入国家的大学生运动员的研究。本研究旨在探索贝鲁特美国大学（AUB）的运动员对这些技术的使用情况。我们在 2018 年秋季对 24 个运动队的 482 名参与者（平均年龄 20 岁）进行了横断面调查；230 名学生成功完成了网络调查，200 名学生提供了有效数据。53 名（26.5%）学生拥有健身追踪器，主要用于自我监测。最受欢迎的是 Fitbit、Apple Watch 和 Garmin。同样，有 82 名学生（40%）使用应用程序，主要是 MyFitnessPal、Apple Health 和 Samsung Health。然而，许多参与者因失去兴趣或技术问题（损坏、可用性、过时或缺乏参与度）而停止使用。可穿戴设备被认为比单独的手机更适合作为身体活动监测器。然而，形成定期习惯会使通过技术进行自我监测变得无关紧要。需要进一步研究以更好地了解是什么促使大学生运动员持续使用这些设备，他们可以使用追踪器来提高运动表现和整体健康水平。
