16 Jan All of Us Research Program expands data collection with Fitbit

Participants can now link their Fitbit accounts to the program to share additional data for research.

The All of Us Research Program has launched the Fitbit Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) project. Now, in addition to providing health information through surveys, electronic health records, and biosamples, participants can choose to share data from their Fitbit accounts to help researchers make discoveries. The project is a key step for the program in integrating digital health technologies for data collection.

Digital health technologies, like mobile apps and wearable devices, can gather data outside of a hospital or clinic. This data includes information about physical activity, sleep, weight, heart rate, nutrition, and water intake, which can give researchers a more complete picture of participants’ health. The All of Us Research Program is now gathering this data in addition to surveys, electronic health record information, physical measurements, and blood and urine samples, working to make the All of Us resource one of the largest and most diverse data sets of its kind for health research.

“Collecting real-world, real-time data through digital technologies will become a fundamental part of the program,” said Eric Dishman, director of the All of Us Research Program. “This information, in combination with many other data types, will give us an unprecedented ability to better understand the impact of lifestyle and environment on health outcomes and, ultimately, develop better strategies for keeping people healthy in a very precise, individualized way.”

All of Us participants with any Fitbit device who wish to share Fitbit data with the program may log on to the All of Us participant portal at https://participant.joinallofus.org  and visit the Sync Apps & Devices tab. Participants without Fitbit devices may also take part if they choose, by creating a free Fitbit account online and manually adding information to share with the program. Participants may choose what type of data to share and may stop sharing at any time.

All of Us is developing additional plans to incorporate digital health technologies. A second project with Fitbit is expected to launch later in the year. It will include providing devices to a limited number of All of Us participants who will be randomly invited to take part, to enable them to share wearable data with the program. And All of Us will add connections to other devices and apps in the future to further expand data collection efforts and engage participants in new ways.

To learn more about the All of Us Research Program, visit https://joinallofus.org.

– Re-posted from the National Institutes of Health