If you’re wearing a Fitbit is good to know that your device is better than ever because it can do much more than tracking your trips. It might indicate when a flu outbreak occurs and help the health officials. Researchers from the Scripps Research Translational Institute analyzed information from users wearing Fitbits. Such a method could be performed due to the company’s privacy policy of using de-identified user information for researches. They found that the devices can predict a flu case in real-time at the state range.
Researchers developed some tests by examining data from 2-16 to 2018, at approximately 200,000 users. Only 47,248 of them consistently used a Fitbit during the research period. Also, the average user was 43 years old, with a rate of 60 % of women.
When a person has the flu, their heartbeats o increase, and their sleep patterns vary. Researchers measured those factors and then searched for any differences to discover precisely when any change happened at a user’s regular rate.
How Fitbit could help doctors predict a flu outbreak
If a person’s regular resting heart level was above their average, and their regular weekly sleep was not below their average, they were recognized as abnormal. The researchers could notice any change in real-time monitoring and flu forecasts at a state range.
“Responding more quickly to influenza outbreaks can prevent further spread and infection, and we were curious to see if sensor data could improve real-time surveillance at the state level,” stated Jennifer Radin, the research author.
It is estimated that 20 % of kids under five, and almost 7 % of working adults contract the flu annually. Also, 650,000 deaths occurred each year worldwide, according to the research. The Fitbit company detailed: “We’re excited by the potential wearables can play in helping to better predict the flu and the positive impact that can have on both those with the flu and the healthcare system.”
