Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Step count accuracy of StepWatch and FitBit One™ among individuals with a unilateral transtibial amputation

2018; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 42; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/0309364618767138

1746-1553

Elisa S. Arch, Jaclyn Megan Sions, John Robert Horne, Barry Bodt,

Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention

Step counts, obtained via activity monitors, provide insight into activity level in the free-living environment. Accuracy assessments of activity monitors are limited among individuals with lower-limb amputations.(1) To evaluate the step count accuracy of both monitors during forward-linear and complex walking and (2) compare monitor step counts in the free-living environment.Cross-sectional study.Adult prosthetic users with a unilateral transtibial amputation were equipped with StepWatch and FitBit One™. Participants completed an in-clinic evaluation to evaluate each monitor's step count accuracy during forward linear and complex walking followed by a 7-day step count evaluation in the free-living environment.Both monitors showed excellent accuracy during forward, linear walking (intraclass correlation coefficients = 0.97-0.99, 95% confidence interval = 0.93-0.99; percentage error = 4.3%-6.2%). During complex walking, percentage errors were higher (13.0%-15.5%), intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.88-0.90, and 95% confidence intervals were 0.69-0.96. In the free-living environment, the absolute percentage difference between monitor counts was 25.4%, but the counts had a nearly perfect linear relationship.Both monitors accurately counted steps during forward linear walking. StepWatch appears to be more accurate than FitBit during complex walking but a larger sample size may confirm these findings. FitBit consistently counted fewer steps than StepWatch during free-living walking. Clinical relevance The StepWatch and FitBit are acceptable tools for assessing forward, linear walking for individuals with transtibial amputation. Given the results' consistenty in the free-living enviorment, both tools may ultimiately be able to be used to count steps in the real world, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.