Cost Model of Physical Activity Monitoring Systems

Abstract

A physical activity (PA) monitoring system comprises a number of wearable devices based on a certain measuring technique and a way to collect and record data on the devices. Recent studies showed that the system is an effective intervention tool to increase participants’ PA level. Given the trend of physical inactivity among students, it is desired to widely deploy the system in schools to decelerate the trend. Based on the need of school, health educators must assess capability and cost of monitoring systems associated with various measuring techniques. The assessment, however, is difficult due to the lack of cost model for a PA monitoring system to be run in real setting. In this article, we propose the cost model so that cost of a PA monitoring system can be estimated according to the selected measuring technique. The model explains the infeasibility of pedometer- or accelerometer-based PA program in population level and implies the preference of an automated measurement system.