The researchers, led by Michael V. McConnell, MD, of California-based Stanford University, analyzed responses from a free cardiovascular health app called MyHeart Counts, which Stanford University launched in March 2015. The app allowed participants to record physical activity, complete health questionnaires and conduct a six minute walk test.
A total of 48,968 individuals consented to participate, 81.7 percent of whom went on to upload data. Among its findings, the researchers note that 41.5 percent of those who consented to participate completed at least four of the seven days of motion data collection, while 9.3 percent completed all seven days. A total of 81.7 percent filled out some of the questionnaires; 10.2 percent completed the walk test.
When considering the data captured through the smartphone app, the researchers found “individuals’ perception of their activity and risk bore little relation to sensor-estimated activity or calculated cardiovascular risk.” They concluded, “large-scale, real-world assessment of physical activity, fitness and sleep using mobile devices may be a useful addition to future population health studies.”
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