Powering Health & Wellness Research
Fitbit makes conducting research easier for you and more engaging for your participants.
Over the last decade, Fitbit devices have played a critical role in health and wellness research, powering over 1,700 different studies and interventions across many areas of focus. From evaluating the impact of an intervention to monitoring post-op progress and enhancing chronic disease management programs, the research opportunities powered by Fitbit devices are endless.
Curious how Fitbit can power your study? We’ve compiled answers to common questions about how Fitbit devices can be used in research.
Design Innovative Protocols
Fitbit offers a range of devices including activity trackers and smartwatches. Our open web API allows you to continuously access participant health analytics throughout the duration of your study. Design your own web application to interface with our API, or work with one of our partners.
Collect Objective Data
The data collected with Fitbit devices helps researchers prevent biases and other measurement errors. With Fitbit devices, you are not reliant on participants self-reporting health data. The data is collected passively, and syncs automatically with the Fitbit platform. Making data collection easy on research teams and participants alike.
Recruit & Engage Individuals
Fitbit’s beloved, trusted brand can help recruitment by drawing participants to studies. Our devices are designed to be worn for longer periods of time versus many typical research grade devices, allowing researchers to gain deeper insights into health data over time.
“Fitbit’s consumer-friendly technology provides our customers with meaningful ways to capture 24/7, real-time data so they can design innovative study protocols in ways not possible before.”
Aaron Coleman, CEO of Fitabase
In 2021, we launched our Health Equity Research Initiative, which invites researchers studying the impact of health disparities in the U.S. to apply for our Health Equity Research grant. This initiative provides researchers with resources and technologies to advance their work — including Fitbit devices and services, Google Cloud credits, Fitabase support and funding. Through this initiative, researchers can look at new ways to use wearable devices to mitigate health disparities, scale existing health equity research methods with technology, and apply data to accelerate health equity impact.
Quantifying the Use of Connected Digital Products in Clinical Research
Fitbit-Based Interventions for Healthy Lifestyle Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Using Fitness Trackers and Smartwatches to Measure Physical Activity in Research: Analysis of Consumer Wrist-Worn Wearables
Fitbit devices have been used in over 1,700 published studies. Visit our Publication Library to learn how investigators are using Fitbit devices in their research.
