Health on the move—can we keep up? Activity tracker performance test to measure data and strategic skills

Abstract

This study examined data and strategic skill-related problems that activity tracker users experience and the extent to which these problems vary by gender, age and educational attainment. A performance test (N = 100) was conducted to study problems experienced during actual use of activity trackers. Video data of participants’ screen actions were analyzed by coding for skill-related problems regarding data retrieval and interpretation, and goal setting and decision making. The results revealed that both data and strategic skill-related problems are experienced by all users, but are particularly prominent amongst elderly and less educated users. Problems were mostly related to retrieving the correct data. Additionally, substantial problems were experienced in every facet of strategic use. Altogether, data and strategic skills are underdeveloped for the beneficial use of activity trackers. Moreover, the differences in the problems experienced among users cause widening digital inequalities.

Ethical approval

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee Behavioural Science of the University of Twente (ref nr BCE16372).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pia S. de Boer

Pia de Boer is a PhD candidate at the University of Twente at the department of Communication Science. She is currently involved in a project on Internet of Things skills. She measures these skills in performance tests in which people actually use IoT devices.

Alexander J. A. M. van Deursen

Alexander Van Deursen is Professor of Communication Science and director of the Centre for Digital Inclusion at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. His research theme is digital inequality. Alexander holds Visiting Scholar positions at the London School of Economic and Political Science and Arizona State University.

Thomas J. L. van Rompay

Thomas van Rompay is an associate professor at the Department of Communication Science of the University of Twente. He has a background in cognitive psychology. He studies design experience from an embodied cognition perspective, investigating how design communicates meaning and affect.