JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Sedentary Behaviour is one of the largest contributing factors increasing the risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes. The Apple Watch contains a health metric known as the Stand Hour. The Stand Hour is intended to record standing with movement for at least 1 minute/hour.

Objective:

We investigated the algorithm used to determine time spent standing per hour. We estimated values of significant Stand Hour predictors in recording a Stand Hour.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study used anonymised data obtained in August 2022 from 20 individuals gathered via convenience sampling.

Results:

Above a threshold of 97.5 steps or 100 kJ of energy it became much more likely that a Stand Hour would be recorded, when each predictor was analysed as a separate entity. We also found that mean and median values of Active Energy and Step Count were higher if a Stand Hour was recorded.

Conclusions:

In observational data a correlation between lowering daily Resting Heart Rate and increased daily Stand Hour has been observed; however, it remains undetermined whether increasing daily Stand Hours can decrease the risk of non-communicable disease. Irrespective of the internal validity of the Stand Hour metric, if individuals adhere to watch notifications to stand, our findings demonstrate this will promote reduction of sedentary behaviour, by encouraging light physical (or greater) activity.