Cathy Nobil-Dutton
Jan 15, 20213 min
Since early in 2013, when Fitbit introduced their wearable activity
tracker, the market for activity trackers has exploded. A few years
ago, statistics recorded that nearly 50% of all Americans have
purchased fitness trackers of some sort. The trackers range from
devices such as Fitbit, to the Apple watch to apps people can
download on their phones to help track their activity and sleep.
As a personal trainer, I have encouraged clients to make use of
them. It is a great way to track steps, exercise, food and sleep. I
have found that it can be encouraging and challenging for people
to try to increase the amount of steps they are taking. It is also a
great tool when they share their data with me. It can help to keep
them accountable and on track.
Fitness Trackers as Cancer Research Aide
Recently, a number of studies are collecting data using fitness
trackers that may assist in finding a cancer cure. Currently, there
are over 400 studies using Fitbit as a tool to measure variables
that may help devise better treatment and perhaps even cures for
cancer. The data collected is being used in many ways to help
researchers understand how exercise can prevent, manage and
reverse disease. One of the benefits of studies using fitness
trackers is the ease of compliance and data collection; the only
thing a participant has to do is keep the device charged and wear
it!
One of the studies being done is at the University of California San
Diego. They are testing whether breast cancer patients who have
metastatic tumors in the brain have improved cognitive
functioning if they are more active. The fitness trackers help
provide the data.
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute has studied how
many steps survivors take and have been able to successfully
predict who will end up back in the hospital based on their step
count.
Fitness Tracker Use During Treatment and Recovery
Using a fitness tracker during treatment can be a really helpful
way to give your doctor information about how you are really
doing. I am an avid walker and prior to my cancer diagnosis, I
walked about 15,000 steps daily. After my hysterectomy, I was
able to track my progress in steps as I recovered from my surgery.
When I started radiation, I was walking regularly but had not
returned to the 15,000 steps I was doing prior to surgery. As my
body dealt with the side effects of the radiation, my ability to walk
began to decrease. I was a person who would present well at a
doctor appointment. I would report to my oncologist what side
effects I was dealing with, but I tended to minimize how poorly I
was really doing. At the time, I never thought to share my Fitbit
data with him, but it would have helped him understand that I
was not doing well in a way that my words were not conveying.
As we are on the road to recovery, it can be really encouraging to
see how we improve. From one day to the next and one week to
the next, seeing how many steps we are able to take can really
give a boost to our recovery
!
In the future, it will be really interesting to “track” how fitness
trackers continue to aid in diagnosis and treatment of cancer.