Association of Smartwatch-Based Heart Rate and Physical Activity With Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measures in the Community: Cohort Study (Preprint)

Abstract

Resting heart rate (HR) and routine physical activity are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness levels. Commercial smartwatches permit remote HR monitoring and step count recording in real-world settings over long periods of time, but the relationship between smartwatch-measured HR and daily steps to cardiorespiratory fitness remains incompletely characterized in the community.

This study aimed to examine the association of nonactive HR and daily steps measured by a smartwatch with a multidimensional fitness assessment via cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) among participants in the electronic Framingham Heart Study.

Electronic Framingham Heart Study participants were enrolled in a research examination (2016-2019) and provided with a study smartwatch that collected longitudinal HR and physical activity data for up to 3 years. At the same examination, the participants underwent CPET on a cycle ergometer. Multivariable linear models were used to test the association of CPET indices with nonactive HR and daily steps from the smartwatch.

We included 662 participants (mean age 53, SD 9 years; n=391, 59% women, n=599, 91% White; mean nonactive HR 73, SD 6 beats per minute) with a median of 1836 (IQR 889-3559) HR records and a median of 128 (IQR 65-227) watch-wearing days for each individual. In multivariable-adjusted models, lower nonactive HR and higher daily steps were associated with higher peak oxygen uptake (VO₂), % predicted peak VO₂, and VO₂ at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold, with false discovery rate (FDR)–adjusted <i>P</i> values &lt;.001 for all. Reductions of 2.4 beats per minute in nonactive HR, or increases of nearly 1000 daily steps, corresponded to a 1.3 mL/kg/min higher peak VO₂. In addition, ventilatory efficiency (V_E/VCO₂; FDR-adjusted <i>P</i>=.009), % predicted maximum HR (FDR-adjusted <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and systolic blood pressure-to-workload slope (FDR-adjusted <i>P</i>=.01) were associated with nonactive HR but not associated with daily steps.

Our findings suggest that smartwatch-based assessments are associated with a broad array of cardiorespiratory fitness responses in the community, including measures of global fitness (peak VO₂), ventilatory efficiency, and blood pressure response to exercise. Metrics captured by wearable devices offer a valuable opportunity to use extensive data on health factors and behaviors to provide a window into individual cardiovascular fitness levels.