In the study, University of Pittsburgh researchers employed 500 people who wanted to lose weight. For the study’s first six months, volunteers followed a low-calorie regiment and kept daily food and exercise diaries in addition to going to weekly counseling sessions.
After those six months, in which volunteers shed some pounds, they were divided into two groups. One group logged their daily exercise sessions online and the other group was provided a monitor that tracked their physical activity and gave feedback on whether they were meeting or exceeding goals.
Here are six takeaways:
1. The study found dieting adults who wore such monitors for 18 months lost “significantly” less weight than dieting adults who did not wear monitors.
2. Previous studies have illustrated these monitors help Americans lose weight by getting them moving. However, NYT notes theses studies are small scale and short term, so they do not effectively demonstrate these tracking devices’ impact on weight loss.
4. The group who wore the monitors lost an average of eight pounds. The study showed the group that wore the monitors exercised less than the other group.
5. Volunteers who did not wear monitors lost, on average, 13 pounds.
6. Researchers noted, “People may have focused on the technology and forgotten to focus on their behaviors.” Based on the findings, researchers aim to conduct follow-up studies, analyzing how activity monitors impact exercise motivation and weight loss.
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