TechDaily.id – Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) or body composition measurement sensors are much better. But until now the equipment is only available in gyms and clinics.
However, today’s smartwatches are like SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 can measure BIA anytime anywhere. But how accurate are these devices?
A joint research team from Louisiana State University, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center conducted a study to find out, as cited by GSM Arena.
This study recruited 109 participants, 75 of whom completed the entire protocol. Readings from the Galaxy Watch4 were compared to clinical measurements performed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning and a laboratory copy of octapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis.
Galaxy Watch4 body composition detector
When the watch measures BIA, the device reports several key statistics such as lean mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and total body water. The study found that having these measures readily available helps increase people’s understanding of their behavior and how to improve it.
Eventually nearly 60% of users increased their physical activity. An additional randomized control study in favor of smart wearables reduced sitting time by an average of 68 minutes.
A meta-analysis of wearable device effects also showed that users increased their daily steps by more than 2,500. Regarding the accuracy of the measurements, research shows that the key statistics reported by the Galaxy Watch4 have a correlation between 97% and 98% with the results of the two reference methods. Here are the conclusions of the research:
“After systematic correction, the BIA smartwatch device was able to perform stable, reliable and accurate measurements of body composition, with comparable but lower accuracy than laboratory measurements. These devices enable measurements in environments inaccessible to laboratory systems, such as homes, training centers, and geographically remote locations.”
Obesity has become a global problem and is considered a chronic disease that develops over time due to overeating and less exercise. About 60% of deaths from cardiovascular disease are caused by obesity.
