Using wrist-worn consumer trackers to monitor kids' activity, calorie use, and sleep (ages 5–12)
Official title: Validity and Utility of Consumer-based Wearable Fitness Trackers to Monitor Free-Living Physical Activity Energy Expenditure and Sleep in Children 5-12 Years Old
Funded at University of South Carolina at Columbia · NIH-11453399 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project sees whether everyday wrist devices like Fitbits or Garmins can accurately track physical activity, calories burned, and sleep in children ages 5 to 12.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $478,760 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK129215-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11453399 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 5–12 who can wear a wrist tracker for several days and attend brief lab or clinic visits are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children younger than 5, older than 12, or those who cannot tolerate wearing a wrist device or attending study visits are unlikely to benefit from participating.
What this research studies
You and your child would wear common wrist-worn fitness trackers during everyday life, typically for about a week, while researchers also collect comparison measurements using reference devices and short lab tests. The team will combine heart rate data and motion (accelerometer) signals from the consumer devices and compare them to established measurements such as chest-strap/ECG heart rate and controlled energy-expenditure assessments. Some visits may involve brief lab-based tasks to gather precise comparison data, and other data will be collected during usual daily routines at home and school. The goal is to see if these easy-to-wear devices give reliable, useful information about kids' activity and sleep patterns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, families and clinicians could use affordable wrist-worn trackers to monitor children’s activity, sleep, and calorie use more easily at home.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies in adults and some clinical groups have shown promising agreement between consumer wearables and standard measures, but validation in 5–12 year-old children is largely untested.
Where this research is happening
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University of South Carolina at Columbia
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weaver, Robert G — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Weaver, Robert G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.