Assessing the Measurement Properties of the Fitbit Zip® Among Adults Living With HIV.

Purpose: To assess the criterion and construct validity of the Fitbit Zip® to measure physical activity among adults living with HIV.

Methods: Participants were video recorded completing 2 walk tests while wearing the Fitbit Zip® and completed 3 self-reported physical activity questionnaires 1 week later. The authors calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to determine agreement between the number of steps taken and distance walked (Fitbit Zip®) with the visual count of number of steps taken and actual distance walked (walk tests). The authors tested 15 a priori hypotheses about predicted associations between questionnaire scores and physical activity measured by the Fitbit Zip®.

Results: Among the 34 participants, there was "excellent" agreement between the number of steps taken measured by the Fitbit Zip® and visually counted number of steps taken (ICC = .99) and number of steps taken at slow (ICC = .75), moderate (ICC = .85), and fast (ICC = .78) walking speeds. There was "poor" agreement between the Fitbit Zip® recorded distance and actual determined distance walked (ICC = .20). Three (20%) construct validity hypotheses were confirmed.

Conclusions: The Fitbit Zip® demonstrated criterion validity for its ability to measure number of steps taken but not distance walked, and did not demonstrate construct validity for measuring physical activity among adults with HIV.